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ONLY AUTHENTIC PORTRAIT OF 

WILHELM HEINRICH SEBASTIAN VON TROOMP 

(FROM THE OIL PAINTING;. 




MARVELLOUS 

^ / 

UNDERGROUND 

JOURNEY 


BY 

INGERSOLL LOCKWOOD 

* * 

AUTHOR OF “ TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LITTLE BARON TRUMP AND HIS WONDERFUL DOG 
BULGER ” “ WONDERFUL DEEDS AND DOINGS OF LITTLE GIANT BOAB AND HIS 
TALKING RAVEN TABIB ” “EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES OF LITTLE 
CAPTAIN DOPPELKOP ON THE SHORES OF BUBBLELAND ” ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

CHARLES HOWARD JOHNSON 


> 

•) > 
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BOSTON 


OCT lA 

■ 

/^vK 


LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 


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10 MILK STREET 


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COPYKIGHT, 1892, BY INGERSOLL LOCKWOOD 


All Rights Reserved 


Marvellous Underground Journey 


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF WILHELM HEINRICH 
SEBASTIAN VON TROOMP, COMMONLY 
CALLED LITTLE BxlRON TRUMP 


As doubting Thomases seem to take particular pleasure in 
popping up on all occasions, Jack-in-the-Box-like, it may be well 
to head them off in this particular instance by proving that 
Baron Trump was a real baron, and not a mere baron of the 
mind. The family was originally French Huguenot — De la 
Trompe — which, upon the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 
1685, took refuge in Holland, where its head assumed the name 
of Van der Troomp, just as many other of the French Protes- 
tants rendered their names into Dutch. Some years later, upon 
the invitation of the Elector of Brandenburg, Niklas Van der 
Troomp became a subject of that prince, and purchased a large 
estate in the province of Pomerania, again changing his name, 
this time to Von Troomp. 

The “Little Baron,” so called from his diminutive stature, 
was born some time in the latter part of the seventeenth century. 
He was the last of his race in the direct line, although cousins 
of his are to-day well-known Pomeranian gentry. He began 
his travels at an incredibly early age, and filled his castle with 
such strange objects picked up here and there in the far away 
corners of the^orld, that the simple-minded peasantry came to 
look upon him as half bigwig and half magician — hence the 


VI 


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE 


growth of the many myths and fanciful stories concerning this 
indefatigable ""globe-trotter. The date of his death cannot be 
fixed with any certainty ; but this much may be said : Among 
the portraits of Pomeranian notables hanging in the Rathhaus 
at Stettin, there is one picturing a man of low stature, and with 
a head much too large for his body. He is dressed in some out- 
landish costume, and holds in his left hand a grotesque image 
in ivory, most elaborately carved. The broad face is full of intel- 
ligence, and the large gray eyes are lighted up with a good- 
natured but quizzical look that invariably attracts attention. 
The man's right hand rests upon the back of a dog sitting on a 
table and looking straight out with an air of dignity that shows 
that he knew he was sitting for his portrait. 

If a visitor asks the guide who this man is, he always gets for 
answer : — 

“ Oh, that’s the Little Baron ! ” 

But little Baron who, that’s the question ? 

Why may it not be the famous Wilhelm Heinrich Sebastian 
von Troomp, commonly called “ Little Baron Trump,” and his 
wonderful dog Bulger ? 


CONTE^JTS 




CHAPTER L 

PAGE 

BULGER IS GREATLY ANNOYED BY THE FAMILIARITY OF THE 
VILLAGE DOGS AND THE PRESUMPTION OF THE HOUSE CATS. 

HIS HEALTH SUFFERS THEREBY, AND HE IMPLORES ME 

TO SET OUT ON MY TRAVELS AGAIN. I READILY CONSENT, 

FOR I HAD BEEN READING OF THE WORLD WITHIN A 
WORLD IN A MUSTY OLD MS. WRITTEN BY THE LEARNED 

DON FUM. PARTING INTERVIEWS WITH THE ELDER BARON 

AND THE GRACIOUS BARONESS MY MOTHER. PREPARA- 
TIONS FOR DEPARTURE 1 

CHAPTER II. 

DON FUm’s mysterious DIRECTIONS. BULGER AND I SET 

OUT FOR PETERSBURG, AND THENCE PROCEED TO ARCHAN- 
GEL. THE STORY OF OUR JOURNEY AS FAR AS ILITCH 

ON THE ILITCH. IVAN THE TEAMSTER. HOW WE MADE 

OUR WAY NORTHWARD IN SEARCH OF THE PORTALS TO 

THE WORLD WITHIN A WORLD. IVAn’s THREAT. BUL- 

GER’s distrust of the man and other THINGS ... 7 

CHAPTER III. 

IVAN MORE AND MORE TROUBLESOME. BULGER WATCHES HIM 

CLOSELY. HIS COWARDLY ATTACK UPON ME. MY FAITH- 
FUL BULGER TO THE RESCUE. A DRIVER WORTH HAVING. 

HOW I WAS CARRIED TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. IN 

THE HANDS OF OLD YULIANA. THE GIANTS’ WELL . . 15 

CHAPTER IV. 

MY WOUND HEALS. — YULIANA TALKS ABOUT THE GIANTs’ 

WELL. I RESOLVE TO VISIT IT. PREPARATIONS TO AS- 
CEND THE MOUNTAINS. WHAT HAPPENED TO YULIANA 

AND TO ME. REFLECTION AND THEN ACTION. HOW I 

CONTRIVED TO CONTINUE THE ASCENT WITHOUT YULIANA 

FOR A GUIDE 20 

vii 


V"lll 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER V. 

UP AND STILL UP, AND THROUGH THE QUARRIES OF THE 

DEMONS. HOW THE CATTLE KEPT THE TRAIL, AND HOW 

WE CAME AT LAST UPON THE P.RINK OF THE GIANTS’ WELL. 

THE TERRACES ARE SAFELY PASSED. BEGINNING OF 

THE DESCENT INTO THE WELL ITSELF. ALL DIFFICUL- 
TIES OVERCOME. WE REACH THE EDGE OF POLYPHEMUS’ 

FUNNEL 

CHAPTER VI. 

MV DESPAIR UPON FINDING THE PIPE OF THE FUNNEL TOO 

SMALL FOR MY BODY. A RAY OF HOPE BREAKS IN UPON 

ME. FULL ACCOUNT OF HOW I SUCCEEDED IN ENTERING 

THE PIPE OF THE FUNNEL. MY PASSAGE THROUGH IT. 

Bulger’s timely aid. — the marble highway and 
SOME curious things CONCERNING THE ENTR.\NCE TO THE 
WORLD WITHIN A WORLD 33 

CHAPTER VII. 

OUR FIRST NIGHT IN THE UNDER WORLD, AND HOW IT WAS 

FOLLOWED BY THE FIRST BREAK OF DAY. BULGEr’s 

WARNING AND WHAT IT MEANT. WE FALL IN WITH AN 

INHABITANT OF THE WORLD WITHIN A WORLD. HIS 

NAME AND CALLING. MYSTERIOUS RETURN OF NIGHT. 

THE LAND OF BEDS, AND HOW OUR NEW FRIEND PROVIDED 
ONE FOR US 42 

CHAPTER VIII. 

“good-morning AS LONG AS IT LASTS.” PLAIN TALK FROM 

MASTER COLD SOUL. WONDERS OF GOGGLE LAND. WE 

ENTER THE CITY OF THE MIKKAMENKIES. BRIEF DE- 
SCRIPTION OF IT. OUR APPROACH TO THE ROYAL P.ALACE. 

QUEEN GALAXA AND HER CRYSTAL THRONE. MASTER 

COLD soul’s tears 51 

■v 

CHAPTER IX. 

BULGER AND I ARE PRESENTED TO QUEEN GALAXA, THE LADY 

OF THE CRYSTAL THRONE. HOW SHE RECEIVED US. HER 

DELIGHT OVER BULGER, WHO GIVES PROOF OF HIS WON- 
DERFUL INTELLIGENCE IN MANY WAVS. HOW THE QUEEN 

CREATES HIM LORD BULGER. ALL ABOUT THE THREE WISE 

MEN IN WHOSE CARE WE ARE PLACED BV QUEEN GALAXA . 56 


PACK 


28 


CONTENTS 


/ 


CHAPTER X. 

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF MY CONVERSATIONS WITH DOCTOR NEBU- 
LOSUS, SIR AMBER o’PAKE, AND LORD CORNUCOREj WHO 
TELL ME MANY THINGS THAT I NEVER KNEW BEFORE, FOR 
WHICH I WAS VERY GRATEFUL 


CHAPTER XL 

PLEASANT DAYS PASSED AMONG THE MIKKAMENKIES, AND WON- 
DERFUL THINGS SEEN BY US. THE SPECTRAL GARDEN, 

AND A DESCRIPTION OF IT. OUR MEETING WITH DAMOZEL 

GLOW STONE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE SAD, SAD TALE OF THE SORROWING PRINCESS WITH A SPECK 
IN HER HEART, AND WHAT ALL HAPPENED WHEN SHE HAD 
ENDED IT, WHICH THE READER MUST READ FOR HIMSELF 
IF HE WOULD KNOW 


CHAPTER XIIL 

HOW I SET TO WORK TO UNDO A WRONG THAT HAD BEEN DONE 
IN THE KINGDOM OF THE MIKKAMENKIES, AND HOW BUL- 
GER HELPED. QUEEN GALAXA^S CONFESSION. — I AM 

CREATED PRIME MINISTER AS LONG AS SHE LIVES. — WHAT 

TOOK PLACE IN THE THRONE-ROOM. MV SPEECH TO THE 

MEN OF GOGGLE LAND, AFTER WHICH I SHOW THEM SOME- 
THING WORTH SEEING. — HOW I WAS PULLED IN TWO DIF- 
FERENT DIRECTIONS AND WHAT CAME OF IT 


CHAPTER XIV. 

BULGER AND I TURN OUR BACKS ON THE FAIR DOMAIN OF 
QUEEN CRYSTALLINA. — NATURE’S WONDERFUL SPEAKING- 

TUBE. CRYSTALLINA’S ATTEMPT TO TURN US BACK. 

HOW I KEPT BULGER FROM YIELDING. — SOME INCIDENTS 
OF OUR JOURNEY ALONG THE MARBLE HIGHWAY, AND HOW 
WE CAME TO THE GLORIOUS GATEWAY OF SOLID SILVER . . 


X 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER XV. 

THE GUARDS AT THE SILVER GATEWAV. WHAT THEY WERE 

LxKE. OUR RECEPTION BY THEM. I MAKE A WONDER- 
FUL DISCOVERY, THE WORLD^S FIRST TELEPHONE. BUL- 

GER AND I SUCCEED IN MAKING FRIENDS WITH THESE 

STRANGERS. A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SOODOPSIES, 

THAT IS, MAKE BELIEVE EYES, OR THE FORMIFOLK, THAT 

IS, ANT PEOPLE. HOW A BLIND MAN MAY READ YOUR 

WRITING 

CHAPTER XVL 

IDEAS OF THE FORMIFOLK CONCERNING OUR UPPER WORLD. — 

THE DANCING SPECTRE. THEIR EFFORTS TO LAY HOLD 

OF HIM. MY SOLEMN PROMISE THAT HE SHOULD BEHAVE 

HIMSELF. WE SET OUT FOR THE CITY OF THE MAKE- 

BELIEVE EYES. MY AMAZEMENT AT THE MAGNIFICENCE 

OF THE APPROACHES TO IT. — WE REACH THE GREAT 
BRIDGE OF SILVER, AND I GET MY FIRST GLANCE OF THE 
CITY OF CANDELABRA. — BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE WONDERS 

SPREAD OUT BEFORE MY EYES. EXCITEMENT OCCASIONED 

BY OUR ARRIVAL. OUR SILVER BED-CHAMBER .... 98 

CHAPTER XVII. 

IN WHICH YOU READ, DEAR FRIENDS, SOMETHING ABOUT A 
LIVE ALARM CLOCK AND A SOODOPSY BATHER AND RUBBER. 

OUR FIRST BREAKFAST IN THE CITY OF SILVER. A 

NEW WAY TO CATCH FISH WITHOUT HURTING THEIR FEEL- 
INGS. HOW THE STREETS AND HOUSES WERE NUMBERED, 

AND WHERE THE SIGNBOARDS WERE. A VERY ORIGINAL 

LIBRARY IN WHICH BOOKS NEVER GET DOG-EARED. HOW 

VELVET SOLES ENJOY'ED HER FAVORITE POETS. I AM PRE- 

SENTED TO THE LEARNED BARREL BROW, WHO PROCEEDS 
TO GIVE ME HIS VIEWS OF THE UPPER WORLD. THEY EN- 
TERTAINED ME AMAZINGLY AND MAY INTEREST YOU . . . 104 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

EARLY HISTORY OF THE SOODOPSIES AS RELATED BY BARREL 
BROW. — HOW THEY WERE DRIVEN TO TAKE REFUGE IN 
THE UNDER WORLD, AND HOW THEY CAME UPON THE 
MARBLE HIGHWAY. — THEIR DISCOVERY OF NATURAL GAS 


PAGE 


91 


CONTENTS 


XI 


WHICH YIELDS THEM LIGHT AND WARMTH, AND OF NA- 
TURE’S MAGNIFICENT TREASURE HOUSE. HOW THEY RE- 

PLACED THEIR TATTERED GARMENTS AND BEGAN TO BUILD 

THE CITY OF SILVER. THE STRANGE MISFORTUNES THAT 

CAME UPON THEM, AND HOW THEY ROSE SUPERIOR TO 
THEM, TERRIBLE AS THEY WERE 


CHAPTER XIX. 

BEGINS WITH SOMETHING ABOUT THE LITTLE SOODOPSIES, BUT 

BRANCHES OFF ON ANOTHER SUBJECT; TO WIT; THE 

SILENT SONG OF SINGING FINGERS, THE FAIR MAID OF THE 

CITY OF SILVER. BARREL BROW IS KIND ENOUGH TO 

ENLIGHTEN ME ON A CERTAIN POINT, AND HE TAKES OCCA- 
SION TO PAY BULGER A VERY HIGH COMPLIMENT, WHICH, 

OF COURSE, HE DESERVED 123 


PAGE 


114 


CHAPTER XX. 

THIS IS A LONG AND A SAD CHAPTER. IT TELLS HOW DEAR, 

GENTLE, POUTING-LIP WAS LOST, AND HOW THE SOODOPSIES 

GRIEVED FOR HIM AND WHOM THEY SUSPECTED. BULGER 

GIVES A STRIKING PROOF OF HIS WONDERFUL INTELLI- 
GENCE WHICH ENABLES ME TO CONVINCE THE SOODOPSIES 
THAT MY DANCING SPECTRE ” DID NOT CAUSE POUTING- 

LIP’S DEATH. THE TRUE TALE OF HIS TERRIBLE FATE. 

WHAT FOLLOWS MY DISCOVERY. HOW A BEAUTIFUL BOAT 

IS BUILT FOR ME BY THE GRATEFUL SOODOPSIES, ’AND HOW 
BULGER AND I BID ADIEU TO THE LAND OF THE MAKE- 
BELIEVE EYES 129 

CHAPTER XXI. 

HOW WE WERE LIGHTED ON OUR WAY DOWN THE DARK AND 

SILENT RIVER. SUDDEN AND FIERCE ONSLAUGHT UPON 

OUR BEAUTIFUL BOAT OF SHELL. A FIGHT FOR LIFE 

AGAINST TERRIBLE ODDS, AND HOW BULGER STOOD BY ME 

Through it all. — cold air and lumps of ice. — our 

ENTRY INTO THE CAVERN WHENCE THEY CAME. THE 

BOAT OF SHELL COMES TO THE END OF ITS VOYAGE. SUN- 

LIGHT IN THE WORLD WITHIN A AVORLD, AND ALL ABOUT 
THE WONDERFUL WINDOW THROUGH WHICH IT POURED, 

AND THE MYSTERIOUS LAND IT LIGHTED 140 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER XXIL 

PAGE 

THE PALACE OF ICE IN THE GOLDEN SUNLIGHT, AND WHAT I 

IMAGINED IT MIGHT CONTAIN. HOW WE WERE HALTED 

BV A COUPLE OF QUAINTLY CLAD SENTINELS. THE KOLTV- 

KWERPS. — HIS FRIGID MAJESTY KING GELIDUS. MORE 

ABOUT THE ICE PALACE, TOGETHER WITH A DESCRIPTION 

OF THE THRONE-ROOM. OUR RECEPTION BY THE KING 

AND HIS DAUGHTER SCHNEEBOULE. BRIEF MENTION OF 

BULLIBRAIN, OR LORD HOT HEAD 150 


CHAPTER XXIIL 

LORD HOT HEAD AGAIN, AND THIS TIME A FULLER ACCOUNT OF 

HIM. HIS WONDROUS TALES CONCERNING THE KOLTY- 

KWERPS: WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHO THEY WERE, AND 
HOW THEY MANAGED TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD OF ETERNAL 

FROST. THE MANY QUESTIONS I PUT TO HIM, AND HIS 

ANSWERS IN FULL 159 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

SOME FEW THINGS CONCERNING THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS 

SCHNEEBOULE. HOW SHE AND I BECAME FAST FRIENDS, 

AND HOW ONE DAY SHE CONDUCTED BULGER AND ME INTO 
HER FAVORITE GROTTO TO SEE THE LITTLE MAN WITH THE 

FROZEN SMILE. SOMETHING ABOUT HIM. WHAT CAME 

OF MY HAVING LOOKED UPON HIM QUITE FULLY DESCRIBED, 164 


CHAPTER XXV. 

A SLEEPLESS NIGHT FOR BULGER AND ME AND WHAT FOLLOWED 

IT. INTERVIEW WITH KING GELIDUS. MY REQUEST AND 

HIS REPLY. WHAT ALL TOOK PLACE WHEN I LEARNED 

THAT THE KING AND HIS COUNCILLORS HAD DECIDED NOT 

TO GRANT MY REQUEST. STRANGE TUMULT AMONG THE 

KOLTYKWERPS, AND HOW HIS FRIGID MAJESTY STILLED IT, 

AND SOME OTHER THINGS 171 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

PAGE 

HOW THE QUARRY MEN OF KING GELIDUS CLEFT ASUNDER THE 
CRYSTAL PRISON OF THE LITTLE MAN WITH THE FROZEN 

SMILE. MY BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT, AND HOW I BORE 

IT. WONDERFUL HAPPENINGS OF THE NIGHT THAT FOL- 
LOWED, BULGER AGAIN PROVES HIMSELF TO BE AN ANI- 
MAL OF EXTRAORDINARY SAGACITY 176 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

EXCITEMENT OVER FUFFCOOJAH. I CARRY HIM TO THE COURT 

OF KING GELIDUS. HIS INSTANT AFFECTION FOR PRIN- 
CESS SCHNEEBOULE. I AM ACCUSED OF EXERCISING THE 

BLACK ART. MY DEFENCE AND MY REWARD. ANXIETY 

OF THE KOLTYKWERPS LEST FUFFCOOJAH PERISH OF 

HUNGER. THIS CALAMITY AVERTED, ANOTHER STARES US 

IN THE FACE : HOW TO KEEP HIM FROM FREEZING TO 

DEATH. I SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT DRAW UPON ME A 

STRANGE MISFORTUNE 183 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

HOW A LITTLE BURDEN MAY GROW TO BE A GRIEVOUS ONE. — 
STORY OF A MAN WITH A MONKEY IN HIS HOOD. MY TER- 
RIBLE SUFFERING. CONCERNING THE AWFUL PANIC THAT 

SEIZED UPON THE KOLTYKWERPS. MY VISIT TO THE DE- 

SERTED ICE-PALACE, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO FUFFCOO- 
JAH. END OF HIS BRIEF BUT STRANGE CAREER. A 

FROZEN KISS ON A BLADE OF HORN, OR HOW SCHNEEBOULE 
CHOSE A HUSBAND 190 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

SOMETHING CONCERNING THE MANY PORTALS TO THE ICY DO- 
MAIN OF KING GELIDUS AND THE DIFFICULT TASK OF 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONE. HOW BULGER SOLVED IT. 

OUR FAREWELL TO THE COLD-BLOODED KOLTYKWERPS. 

SCHNEEBOULE'S SORROW AT LOSING US 198 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER ' XXX. 

PAGE 

ALL ABOUT THE MOST TERRIBLE BUT MAGXIFICENT RIDE I 
EVER TOOK IN MV LIFE. — NINETY MILES ON THE BACK OF 
A FLYING MASS OF ICE, AND HOW BULGER AND I WERE 
LANDED AT LAST ON THE BANKS OF A MOST WONDERFUL 
RIVER. HOW THE DAY BROKE IN THIS UNDER WORLD . . 205 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

IN WHICH YOU READ OF THE GLORIOUS CAVERNS OF WHITE 

MARBLE FRONTING ON THE WONDERFUL RIVER. IN THE 

TROPICS OF THE UNDER WORLD. HOW WE CAME UPON A 

SOLITARY WANDERER ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. MY 

CONVERSATION WITH HIM, AND MY JOY AT FINDING MY- 
SELF IN THE LAND OF THE RATTLEBRAINS, OR HAPPY FOR- 
GETTERS. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEM 211 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

HOW WE ENTERED THE LAND OF THE HAPPY FORGETTERS. 

SOMETHING MORE ABOUT THESE CURIOUS FOLK. THEIR 

DREAD OF BULGER AND ME. ONLY A STAY OF ONE DAY' 

ACCORDED US. — DESCRIPTION OF THE PLEASANT HOMES 

OF THE HAPPY' FORGETTERS. THE REVOLVING DOOR 

THROUGH WHICH BULGER AND I ARE UNCEREMONIOUSLY' 

SET OUTSIDE OF THE DOMAIN OF THE RATTLEBRAINS. ALL 

ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY' THINGS WHICH HAPPENED TO 

BULGER AND ME THEREAFTER. ONCE MORE IN THE OPEN 

AIR OF THE UPPER WORLD, AND THEN HOMEWARD BOUND, 218 


ILLUSTEATIONS. 


PAGE 


Only Authentic Portrait of Wilhelm Heinrich Sebastian von Troomp 

(from the oil painting) Frontispiece 

Departure from Castle Trump . 9 

Along a Highway of the Under World 23 

Before her Majesty Galaxa, Queen of the Mikkamenkies ... 35 

A Dinner easily provided for 47 

Princess Crystallina uncovers her Heart 59 

Crystallina’s Heart on a Screen . 71 

Bulger parts his Master from Princess Crystallina .... 83 

The Formifolk try the Beat of the Baron’s Heart b}’ Telejjhone . 95 

Barrel Brow engaged in reading Four Books at once . . . 107 

A Soodopsy Maiden reading her Favorite Poet . . . . 119 

The Gigantic Tortoise that devoured Pouting Lip .... 131 

Sailing away from the Land of the Soodopsies .... 143 

The Battle for Life with the White Crabs 155 

The Little Man with the Frozen Smile 167 

Bulger shows the Baron Something Wonderful 179 

The Baron’s Flight to the lee Palace . . . . . . 191 

Death of FutFeoojah .......... 197 

Koltykwerpian Quarrymen hewing a Passage through the Wall of Ice 203 
The Wonderful Ride on the Block of Ice ..... 207 

The Tro23ics of the Under World .213 

Through the Revolving Door 219 

Caught up in the Arms of the Torrent 225 

Hurled out in the Sunshine 231 




A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND 
JOURNEY 


CHAPTER I 

BULGER IS GREATLY ANNOYED BY THE FAMILIARITY OF THE 
VILLAGE DOGS AND THE PRESUMPTION OF THE HOUSE CATS. — 
HIS HEALTH SUFFERS THEREBY, AND HE IMPLORES ME TO 
SET OUT ON MY" TRAVELS AGAIN. I READILY CONSENT, FOR I 
HAD BEEN READING OF THE WORLD WITHIN A WORLD IN A 
MUSTY OLD MS. WRITTEN BY THE LEARNED DON FUM. — PART- 
ING INTERVIEWS WITH THE ELDER BARON AND THE GRACIOUS 
BARONESS MY MOTHER. — PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 

Bulger was not himself at all, dear friends. There was a 
lack-lustre look in his eyes, and his tail responded with only 
a half-hearted wag when I spoke to him. I say half-hearted, for 
I always had a notion ifiat the other end of Bulger’s tail was; 
fastened to his heart. His appetite, too, had gone down with 
his spirits ; and he rarely did anything more than sniff at the 
dainty food which I set before him, although I tried to tempt 
him with fried chickens’ livers and toasted cocks’ combs — two 
of Ids favorite dishes. 

There was evidently something on his mind, and yet it never 
occurred to me what that something was ; for to be honest about 
it, it was something which of all things I never should have 
dreamed of finding there. 

Possibly I might have discovered at an earlier day what it 
was all about, had it not been that just at this time I was very 
busy, too busy, in fact, to pay much attention to any one, even 


o 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


to my dear four-footed foster brother. As you may remember, 
dear friends, my brain is a very active one ; and when once I 
become interested in a subject, Castle Trump itself might take 
tire and burn until the legs of my chair had become charred 
before I would hear the noise and confusion, or even smell the 
smoke. 

It so happened at the time of Bulger’s low spirits that the 
elder baron had, through the kindness of an old school friend, 
come into possession of a fifteenth-century manuscript from the 
pen of a no less celebrated thinker and philosopher than the 
learned Spaniard, Don Constantino Bartolomeo Strepholofidge- 
guaneriusfum, commonly known among scholars as Don Fum, 
entitled “A World within a World.” In this work Don Fum 
advanced the wonderful theory that there is every reason to 
believe that the interior of our world is inhabited ; that, as is 
well known, this vast earth ball is not solid, on the contrary, 
being in many places quite hollow ; that ages and ages ago ter- 
rible disturbances had taken place on its surface and had driven 
the inhabitants to seek refuge in these vast underground cham- 
bers, so vast, in fact, as well to merit the name of “ World within 
a World.” 

This book, with its crumpled, torn, and time-stained leaves 
exhaling the odors of vaulted crypt and worm-eaten chest, exer- 
cised a peculiar fascination upon me. ■ All day long, and often 
far into the night, I sat poring over its musty and mildewed 
pages, quite forgetful of this surface world, and with the plum- 
met of thought sounding these subterranean depths, and with 
the eye and ear of fancy visiting them, and gazing upon and 
listening to the dwellers therein. 

While I would be thus engaged, Bulger’s favorite position 
was on a quaintly embroidered leather cushion brought from the 
Orient by me on one of my journeys, and now placed on the end 
of my work-table nearest the window. From this point of van- 
tage Bulger commanded a full view of the park and the terrace 
and of the drive leading up to the porte-cochere. Nothing 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


3 


escaped his watchful eye. Here he sat hour by hour, amusing 
himself by noting the comings and goings of all sorts of folk, 
from the hawkers of gewgaws to the noblest people in the shire. 
One day my attention was attracted by his suddenly leaping 
down from his cushion and giwng a low growl of displeasure. 
I paid little heed to it, but to my surprise the next day about 
the same hour it occurred again. 

My curiosity was now thoroughly aroused ; and laying down 
Don Fum’s musty manuscript, I hastened to the window to learn 
the cause of Bulger's irritation. 

Lo, the secret was out ! There stood half a dozen mongrel 
curs belonging to the tenantry of the baronial lands, looking up 
to the window, and by their barking and antics endeavoring to 
entice Bulger out for a romp. Dear friends, need I assure you 
that such familiarity was extremely distasteful to Bulger? 
Their impudence was just a little more than he could stand. 
Ringing my bell, I directed my servant to hunt them away. 
Whereupon Bulger consented to resume his seat by the window. 

The next morning, just as I had settled myself down for a 
good long read, I was almost startled by Bulger bounding into 
the room with eyes flashing fire and teeth laid bare in anger. 
Laying hold of the skirt of my dressing-gown, he gave it quite a 
savage tug, which meant, “Put thy book aside, little master, 
and follow me.” 

I did so. He led me down-stall's across the hallway and into 
the dining-room, and then this new cause of discontent on his 
part became very apparent to me. There grouped around his sil- 
ver breakfast plate sat an ancient tabby cat and four kittens, all 
calmly licking or lapping away at his breakfast. Looking up 
into my face, he uttered a sharp, complaining howl, as much as 
to say, “ There, little master, look at that. Isn't that enough 
to roil the patience of a saint ? Canst thou wonder that I am 
not happy with all these disagreeable things happening to me ? 
I tell thee, little master, it is too much for flesh and blood to 
put up with.” 


4 


A MAHVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


And I thought so too, and did all in my power to comfort my 
unhappy little friend ; but judge of my surprise upon reaching 
my room and directing him to take his place on his cushion, to 
see him refuse to obey. 

It was something extraordinary, and set me to thinking. He 
noticed this and gave a joyful bark, then dashed into my sleep- 
ing apartment. He was gone for several moments, and then 
returned bearing in his mouth a pair of Oriental shoes which he 
laid at my feet. Again and again he disappeared, coming back 
each time with some article of clothing in his mouth. In a few 
moments he had laid a complete Oriental costume on the floor 
before my eyes ; and Avould you believe me, dear friends, it was 
the identical suit which I had worn on my last travels in far- 
away lands, when he and I had been wrecked on the Island of 
Gogulah, the land of the Round Bodies. What did it all mean ? 
Why, this, to be sure : — 

“ Little master, canst thou not understand thy dear Bulger ? 
He is weary of this dull and spiritless existence. He is tired of 
this increasing familiarity on the part of these mongrel curs of 
the neighborhood and of the audacity of these kitchen tabbies 
and their families. He implores thee to break away from this 
life of revery and inaction, and for the honor of the Trumps to 
be up and away again.”’ Stooping down and winding my arms 
around my dear Bulger, I cried out, — 

“ Yes, I understand thee now, faithful companion ; and I 
promise thee that before this moon has filled her horns we shall 
once more turn our backs on Castle Trump, up and away in 
search of the portals to Don Fum’s World within a World.” 
Upon hearing these words, Bulger broke out into the wildest, 
maddest barking, bounding hither and thither as if the very 
spirit of mischief had suddenly nestled in his heart. In the 
midst of these mad gambols a low rap on my chamber door 
caused me to call out, — 

“ Peace, peace, good Bulger, some one knocks. Peace, I 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


5 


It was the elder baron. With sombre mien and stately tread 
he advanced and took a seat beside me on the canopy. 

“ Welcome, honored father ! ” I exclaimed as I took his hand 
and raised it to my lips. “ I was upon the very point of seeking 
thee out.” 

He smiled and then said, — 

“Well, little baron, what thinkest thou of Don Fum’s World 
within a World? ” 

“ I think, my lord,” was my reply, “that Don Fum is right: 
that such a world must exist ; and with thy consent it is my 
intention to set out in search of its portals with all safe haste 
and as soon as my dear mother, the gracious baroness, may be 
able to bring her heart to part with me.” 

The elder baron was silent for a moment, and then added : 
“ Little baron, much as thy mother and I shall dread to think 
of thy being again out from under the safe protection of this 
venerable roof, the moss-grown tiles of which have sheltered so 
many generations of the Trumps, yet must we not be selfish in 
this matter. Heaven forbid that such a thought should move 
our souls to stay thee ! The honor of our family, thy fame as 
an explorer of strange lands in far-away corners of the globe, call 
unto us to be strong hearted. Therefore, my dear boy, make 
ready ai;d go forth once more in search of new marvels. The 
learned Don Fum’s chart will stand thee by like a safe and 
trusty counsellor. Remember, little baron, the motto of the 
Trumps, Per Ardua ad Astra — the pathway to glory is strewn 
with pitfalls and dangers — but the comforting thought shall ever 
be mine, that when thy keen intelligence fails, Bulger’s unerr- 
ing instinct will be there to guide thee.” 

As I stooped to kiss the elder baron’s hand, the graeious 
baroness entered the room. 

Bulger hastened to raise himself upon his hind legs and lick 
her hand in token of respectful greeting. The tears were 
pressing hard against her eyelids, but she kept them back, and 
encircling my neck with her loving arms, she pressed many and 
many a kiss upon my cheeks and brow. 


6 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY. 


“ I know what it all means, my dear son,” she murmured with 
the saddest of smiles ; “ but it never shall be said that Gertrude 
Baroness von Trump stood in the way of her son adding new 
glories to the family ’scutcheon. Go, go, little baron, and 
Heaven bring thee safely back to our arms and to our hearts in 
its own good time.” 

At these words Bulger, who had been listening to the conver- 
sation with pricked-up earn and glistening eyes, gave one long 
howl of joy, and then springing into my lap, covered my face with 
kisses. This done, he vented his happiness in a string of ear- 
splitting barks and a series of the maddest gambols. It was one 
of the happiest and proudest days of his life, for he felt that he 
had exerted considerable influence in screwing to the sticking- 
point my resolution to set out on my travels once again. 

And now the patter of hurrying feet and the loud murmur 
of anxious voices resounded through the castle corridors, while 
inside and out ever and anon I could hear the cry now 
whispered and now outspoken, — 

“ The little baron is making ready to leave home again.” 

Bulger ran hither and thither, surveying everything, taking 
note of all the preparations, and I could hear his joyous bark 
ring out as some familiar article used by me on my former 
journeys was dragged from its hiding-place. 

Twenty times a day my gentle mother came to my room to 
repeat some good counsel or reiterate some valuable caution. 
It seemed to me that I had never seen her so calm, so stately, 
so lovable. 

She was very proud of my great name and so, in fact, were 
every man, woman, and child in the castle. Had I not gotten 
off as I did, I should have been literally killed with kindness 
and Bulger slain with sweetcake. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


7 


CHAPTER II 

DON FUM’s mysterious DIRECTIONS. — BULGER AND I SET OUT 
FOR PETERSBURG, AND THENCE PROCEED TO ARCHANGEL. — 
THE STORY OF OUR JOURNEY AS FAR AS ILITCH ON THE 
ILITCH. — IVAN THE TEAMSTER. — HOW WE MADE OUR WAY 
NORTHWARD IN SEARCH OF THE PORTALS TO THE WORLD 
WITHIN A WORLD. — IVAN’S THREAT. — BULGER’s DISTRUST 
OF THE MAN AND OTHER THINGS. 

According to the learned Don Finn’s manuscript, the portals 
to the World within a World were situated somewhere in 
Northern Russia, possibly, so he thought, from all indications, 
somewhere on the westerly slope of the tipper Urals. But the 
great thinker could not locate them with any accuracy. “ The 
people will tell thee ” was the mysterious phrase that occurred 
again and again on the mildewed pages of this wonderful writ- 
ing. “ The people will tell thee.” Ah, but what people will 
be learned enough to tell me that? was the brain-racking ques- 
tion which I asked myself, sleeping and waking, at sunrise, at 
Iiigh noon, and at sunset ; at the crowing of the cock, and in the 
silent hours of the night. 

“ The people will tell thee,” said learned Don Fum. 

“ Ah, but what people will tell me where to find the portals 
to the World within a World?” 

Hitherto on my travels I had made choice of a semi-Oriental 
garb, both on account of its picturesqueness and its lightness 
and warmth, but now as I was about to pass quite across Russia 
for a number of months, I resolved to don the Russian national 
costume ; for speaking Russian fluently, as I did a score or more 
of languages living and dead, I would thus be enabled to come 
and go without everlastingly displaying my passport, or having 


8 A MAIiFELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY. 

my trains of tliouglit constantly disturbed by inquisitive travel- 
ling companions — a very important thing to me, for my mind 
possessed the extraordinary power of working out automatieally 
any task assigned to it by me, provided it was not suddenly 
thrown off its track by some ridiculous interruption. For 
instanee, I was upon the very point one day of discovering per- 
petual motion, when the gracious baroness suddenly opened the 
door and asked me whether I had pared the nails of my great 
toes lately, as she had obs.erved that I had worn holes in several 
pairs of my best stockings. 

It was about the middle of February when I set out from the 
Castle Trump, and I journeyed night and day in order to reach 
Petersburg by the first of March, for I knew that the govern- 
ment trains would leave that city for the White Sea during the 
first week of that month. Bulger and I were both in the best 
of health and spirits, and the fatigue of the journey didn’t tell 
upon us in the least. The moment I arrived at the Russian 
capital I applied to the emperor for permission to join one of the 
government trains, which was most graciously accorded. Our 
route lay almost directly to the northward for several days, at 
the end of which time we reached the shores of Lake Ladoga. 
Ihis we crossed on the ice with our sledges, as a few days later 
we did Lake Onega. Thence by land again, we kept on our 
way until Onega Bay had been reached, crossing it, too, on the 
ice, and so reaching the station of the same name, where we 
halted for a day to give our horses a well-deserved rest. From 
this point we proceeded in a straight line over the snow fields to 
Arehangel, an important trading-post on the White Sea. 

As this was the destination of the government train, I parted 
with its commandant after a few daj^s’ pleasant sojourn at the 
government house, and set out, attended only by my faithful 
Bulger and two servants, who had been assigned to me by the 
imperial commissioner. 

My course now carried me up the River Dwina as far as 
Solvitchegodsk ; thenee I proceeded on my way over the frozen 





A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


11 


waters of tlie Witchegda River until we had reached the govern- 
ment post of Yarensk, and from here on we headed due East 
until our hardy little horses had dragged us into the picturesque 
village of Hitch on the Hitch. Here we were obliged to aban- 
don our sledges, for the snows had disappeared like magic, 
uncovering long vistas of green fields, which in a few days the 
May sun dotted with flowers and sweet shrubs. At Hitch I was 
obliged to relinquish from my service the two faithful govern- 
ment retainers who had accompanied me from Archangel, for 
they had now reached the most westerly point which they had 
been commissioned to visit. I had become very much attached 
to them, and so had Bulger, and aft^r their departure we both 
felt as if we were now, for the first time, among strangers in a 
strange land; but I succeeded in engaging, as I thought, a trust- 
worthy teamster, Ivan by name, who made a contract with me 
for a goodly wage to carry me a hundred miles farther north. 

“ But not another step farther, little baron ! ” said the fellow 
doggedly. I was now really at the foot hills of the Northern 
Urals, for the rocky crests and snow-clad peaks were in full 
sight. 

I turned many a wistful look up toward the wild regions shut 
in by their sheer walls and parapets, shaggy and bristling with 
black pines, for a low, mysterious voice came a-whispering in my 
inward ear that somewhere, ah, somewhere in that awful wilder- 
ness, I should one day come upon the portals of the World with- 
in a World! In spite of all I could do Bulger took a violent 
dislike to Ivan and Ivan to him ; and if the bargain had not been 
made and the money paid over, I should have looked about me 
for another teamster. And yet it would have been a foolish 
thing to do, for Ivan had two excellent horses, as I saw at a 
glance, and, what’s more, he took the best of care of them, at 
every post rubbing them until they were quite dry, and never 
thinking of his own supper until they had been watered and 
fed. 

His tarantass, too, was quite new and solidly built and well 


12 


,A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


furnished with soft blankets, all in all as comfortable as you can 
make a wagon which has no other springs than the two long 
wooden supports that reach from axle to axle. True, they were 
somewhat elastic ; but I could notice that Bulger was not over- 
fond of riding in this curious vehicle with its rattlety-bang gait 
up and down these mountain roads, and often asked permission 
to leap out and follow on foot. 

At length Ivan reported everything in readiness for the start; 
and although I would have fain taken my departure from Hitch 
on the Hitch in as quiet a manner as possible, yet the whole 
village turned out to see us off — Ivan’s family, father, mother, 
sisters, and brothers, wife and children, uncles and aunts and 
cousins by dozens alone making up people enough to stock a 
small town. They cheered and waved their kerchiefs, Bulger 
barked, and I smiled and raised my cap with all the dignity of a 
Trump. And so we got away at last from Hitch on the Ilitch, 
Ivan on the box, and Bulger and I at the back, sitting close 
together like two brothers that we were — two breasts with but 
a single heart-beat and two brains busy with the same thought — 
that come perils or come sudden attacks, come covert danger or 
bold and open-faced onslaught, we should stand together and 
fall together ! jMany and many a time as Ivan’s horses went 
crawling up the long stretches of mountain road and I lay 
stretched upon the broad-cushioned seat of the tarantass with 
a blanket rolled up for a pillow, I would find myself uncon- 
scioush' repeating those mysterious words of Don Fum: — 

“ The people will tell thee ! The people will tell thee ! ” 

So steep were the roads that some days we would not make 
more than five miles, and on others a halt of several hours would 
have to be made to enable Ivan to tighten his horses’ shoes, 
grease the axles, or do some needful thing in or about his wagon. 
It was slow work, ay, it was very slow and tedious, but what 
matters it how many or great the difficulties, to a man who has 
made up his mind to accomplish a certain task ? Do the storks 
or the wild geese stop to count the thousands of miles between 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


13 


them and their far-away homes when the time comes to turn 
their heads southward? Do the brown ants pause to count the 
hundreds of thousands of grains of sand which they must carry 
through their long corridors and winding passages before they 
have burrowed deep enough to escape the frost of midwinter? 

There had been many Trumps, but never one that had thrown 
up his arms and cried, “ I surrender I ” and should I be the first 
to do it? “Never! Not even if it meant never to see dear old 
Castle Trump again ! ” 

One morning as we went zigzagging up a particularly nasty 
bit of mountain road, Ivan suddenly wheeled about and without 
even taking off his hat, cried out, — 

“ Little baron, I cover the last mile of the hundred to-day. 
If thou wouldst go any farther north thou must hire thee 
another teamster ; dost hear?” 

“ Silence ! ” said I sternly, for the fellow had broken in upon 
a very important train of thought. 

Bulger, too, resented the man’s insolence, and growled and 
showed his teeth. 

“ But, little baron, listen to reason,” he continued in a more 
respectful tone, removing his cap ; “ my people will expect me 
back. I promised my father — I’m a dutiful son — I — ” 

“Nay, nay, Ivan,” I interrupted sharply, “curb that tongue of 
tliine lest it harm thy soul. Know, then, that I spoke with thy 
father, and he promised me that thou shouldst go a second hun- 
dred miles with me if need were, but on condition that I give 
thee double pay. It shall be done, and on top of that a goodly 
present for your yoluhtchika (darling).” 

“Little baron, thou art a hard master,” whimpered the man. 
“ If the whim took thee thou wouldst bid me leap into the 
Giants’ Well just to see whether it has a bottom or not. St. 
Nicholas, save me!” 

“ Nay, Ivan,” said I kindly, “ I know no such word as cruelty 
although I do confess that right seems harsh at times, but thou 
wert born to serve and I to command. Providence hath made 


14 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


thee poor and me rich. We need each other. Do thou thy duty, 
and thou wilt find me just and considerate. Disobey me, and 
thou wilt find that this short arm may be stretched from Hitch 
to Petersburg.” 

Ivan turned pale at this hidden threat of mine ; but I deemed 
it necessary to make it, for I as well as Bulger had scented 
treachery and rebellion about this boorish fellow, whose good 
trait was his love of his horses, and it has always been my rule 
in life to open ni}’' eyes wide to the good that there is in a man, 
and close them to his faults. But, in spite of kind words and 
kind treatment, Ivan grew surlier and moodier the moment we 
had passed the hundredth milestone. 

Bulger watched him with a gaze so steady and thoughtful 
that the man fairly quailed before it. Hour by hour he became 
more and more restive, and upon leaving a roadside tavern, for 
the very first time since we had left Hitch on the Hitch, I noticed 
that the fellow had been drinking too much ktvass. He let 
loose his tongue, and raised his hand against his horses, which 
until that moment he had been wont to load down with caresses 
and pet names. 

“ Look out for that driver of thine, little baron,” whispered 
the tavern-keeper. “ He’s in a reckless mood. He’d not pull 
up if the Giants’ Well were gaping in front of him. St. 
Nicholas have thee in his safe keeping ! ” 


A MAJirELLOdS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


15 


CHAPTER III 

IVAN MORE AND MORE TROUBLESOME. — BULGER WATCHES HIM 
CLOSELY. — HIS COWARDLY ATTACK UPON ME. — MY FAITH- 
FUL BULGER TO THE RESCUE. — A DRIVER WORTH HAVING. 
— HOW I WAS CARRIED TO A PLACE OF SAFEITY. — IN THE 
HANDS OF OLD YULIANA. — THE GIANTS’ WELL. 

W HEN we halted for the night it was only by threatening the 
man with severe punishment upon my return to Hitch that I 
could bring him to rub his horses dry and feed and water them 
properly ; but I stood over him until he had done his work 
thoroughly, for I knew that no such horses could be had for 
love or money in that country, and if they should go lame from 
standing with wet coats in the chill night air, it might mean a 
week’s delay. 

Scarcely had I thrown myself on the hard mattress wliicli the 
tavern-keeper called the best bed in the house, when I was 
aroused by loud and boisterous talking in the next room. Ivan 
was drinking and quarrelling with the villagers. I strode into 
the room with the arrows of indignation shooting from my eyes, 
and the faithful Bulger close at my heels. 

The moment Ivan set eyes upon us he shrank away, half in 
earnest and half in jest, and called out, — 

‘‘Hey, look at' the mazuntchick ! [Little Dandy!] How 
smart he looks ! He frightens me ! See his eyes, how they 
shine in the dark ! Look at the little demon on four legs beside 
him ! Save me, brothers ! Save me — he will throw me down 
into the Giants’ Well ! Marianka will never see me again I 
Never 1 Save me, brothers ! ” 

‘‘ Peace, fellow,” I called out sternly. “ How darest thou 
exercise thy dull wit on thy master? Get thee to bed ar once. 


16 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


or I’ll have thee whipped by the village constable for thy 
drunkenness.” 

Ivan clambered up upon the top of the bake oven, and stretched 
himself out on a sheepskin ; then turning to the tavern-keeper, 
I forbade him under any pretext whatever to give my servant 
any more liquor to drink. Vasha prevoskhoditeUtvo 

[Ah, your Excellency !] ” exclaimed the tavern-keeper with a 
gesture of disgust, “ the fools never know when they have had 
enough. It matters not what the tavern-keeper may say to 
them. They tell us not to spoil our own trade. Akh! [Ah!] 
they don’t know when to stop. They have throats as deep as 
the ‘ Giants’ Well ! ’ ” 

“The Giants’ Well I The Giants’ Well!”! murmured to 
myself, as I again threw myself down upon the bag of hay which 
did service as a mattress for those who could afford to pay for 
it. It’s strange how those words seem to be in every peasant’s 
mouth, but I thought no more about it at that time. Sleep got 
the better of me, and with my usual good-night to the elder 
baron and the gracious baroness, my mother, I dropped off into 
sweet forgetfulness. 

It is a good thing that I had the power of falling asleep 
almost at will, for with my restless brain ever throbbing and 
pulsating with its own over-abundance of strength, ever tapping 
at the thin panels of bone which covered it, like an imprisoned 
inventor pounding on his cell door and pleading to be let out 
into the daylight with his plans and schemes, I should simply 
have become a lunatic. 

As it was, with the mere power of thought I ordered sweet 
slumber to come to my rescue, and so obedient was this good 
angel of mine, that all I had to do was simply to set the time 
when I wished to awaken, and the thing was done to the very 
minute. 

As for Bulger, I never pretended to lay down any rules for 
him. He made it a practice of catching forty winks when lie 
was persuaded that no danger of any kind threatened me, and 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


17 


even then, I am half inclined to believe that, like an anxious 
mother over her babe, he never quite closed both eyes at once. 

Though entirely sobered by daybreak, yet Ivan went about 
the task of harnessing up with such an ill grace that I was 
obliged to reprove him several times before we had left the 
tavern yard. He was like a vicious but cowardly animal that 
quails before a strong and steady eye, but watches its oppor- 
tunity to spring upon you when your back is turned. 

I not only called Bulger’s attention to the fellow’s actions, 
and warned him to be very watchful, but I also took the precau- 
tion to examine the priming of the brace of Spanish pistols 
which I carried thrust into my belt. 

We had scarcely pulled out into the highway when a low 
growl from Bulger aroused me from a fit of meditation; and this 
growl was followed by such an anxious whine from my four- 
footed brother, as he raised his speaking eyes to me, that I 
glanced hastily from one side of the road to the other. 

Lo and behold ! the treacherous Ivan was deliberately engaged 
in an attempt to overturn the tarantass and to get rid of his 
enforced task of transporting us any farther on our journey. 

“Wretch!” I cried, springing up and laying my hand on his 
shoulder. “ I perceive very plainly what thou hast in mind, but 
I warn thee most solemnly that if thou makest another attempt 
to overturn thy wagon. I’ll slay thee where thou sittest.” 

For only answer and with a lightning-like quickness he struck 
a back-hand blow at me with the loaded end of his whipstock. 

It took me full in the right temple, and sent me to the bottom 
of the tarantass like a piece of lead. 

For an instant the terrible blow robbed me of my senses, but 
then I saw that the cowardly villain had turned in his seat and 
had swung the heavy handled whip aloft with intent to de- 
spatch me with a second and a surer blow. 

Poor fool ! he reckoned without his host ; for with a shriek of 
rage, Bulger leaped at his throat like a stone from a catapult, and 
struck his teeth deep into the fellow’s flesh. 


18 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


He roared with agony and attempted to shake off this unex- 
pected foe, but in vain. 

By this time I had come to a full realizing sense of the terri- 
ble danger Bulger and I were both in, for Ivan had dropped his 
whip and was reaching for his sheath-knife. 

But he never gripped it, for a well-aimed shot from one of my 
pistols struck him in the forearm, for I had no wish to take the 
man’s life, and broke it. 

The shock and the pain so j)aralyzed him that he fell over 
against the dashboard half in a faint, and then rolled completely 
out of the wagon, dragging Bulger with him. The horses now 
began to rear and plunge. I saw no more. There was a noise 
as of the roar of angry waters in my ears, and then the light of 
life went out of my eyes entirely. I had swooned dead away. 

It seemed to me hours that I lay there on my back in the 
bottom of the tarantass with my head hanging over the side, but 
of course it was only minutes. I was aroused by a prickling 
sensation in my left cheek, and as I slowly came to myself I 
discovered that it proceeded from the gravel thrown up against 
it by one of the front wheels of the tarantass, for the horses were 
galloping along at the top of their speed, and there on the driver’s 
seat sat my faithful Bulger, the reins in his teeth, bracing 
himself so as to keep them taut over the horses’ backs ; and as I 
sat up and pressed my hand against my poor hurt head, the 
whole truth broke upon me : — 

The moment Ivan had struck the ground Bulger had released 
his hold upon the fellow’s throat, and ere he had had a chance to 
revive had leaped up into the driver’s seat, and, catching up the 
reins in his teeth, had drawn them taut and thus put an end to 
the rearing and plunging of the frightened beasts and started 
them on their way, leaving the enraged Ivan brandishing his 
knife and uttering imprecations upon mine and Bulger’s heads 
as he saw his horses and wagon disappear in the distance. Now 
was it that a mad shouting assailed my ears and I caught a 
glimpse of half a dozen peasants who, seeing this, as they thought. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


19 


empty tarantass come nearer and nearer with its galloping 
horses, had abandoned their work and rushed out to intercept it. 

Judge of their amazement, dear friends, as their eyes fell upon 
the calm and skilful driver bracing himself on the front seat, 
and with oft repeated backward tosses of his head urging those 
horses to bear his beloved master farther and farther away from 
the treacherous Ivan’s sheath-knife. 

As the peasants seized the animals by the heads and brought 
them to a standstill, I staggered to my feet, and threw my arms 
around my dear Bulger. He was more than pleased with what 
he had done, and licked my bruised brow with many a piteous 
moan. 

“ St. Nicholas, save us ! ” cried one of the peasants, devoutly 
making the sign of the cross ; “ but if I should live long enough 
to fill the Giants’ Well with pebbles, I never would expect to see 
the like of this again.” 

“The Giants’ Well, the Giants’ Well!” I murmured to my- 
self as I followed one of the peasants to his cot, standing a little 
back from the highway, for I stood sore in need of rest after the 
terrible experience I had just had. The blow of Ivan’s whip- 
handle had jarred my brain, and I was skilled enough in surgery 
to know that the hurt called for immediate attention. As good 
luck would have it, I found beneath the peasant’s roof one of 
those old women, half witches perhaps, who have recipes for 
everything and who know an herb for every ailment. After she 
had examined the cut made by the loaded whip-handle, she mut- 
tered out, — 

“ It is not as broad as the mountain, nor as deep as the Giants’ 
Well, but it’s bad enough, little master.” 

“The Giants’ Well again,” thought I, as I laid me down on 
the best bed they could make up for me. “I wonder where it 
may be, that Giants’ Well, and how deep it is, and who drinks 
the water that is drawn from it ? ” 


20 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER IV 

MY WOUND HEALS. — YULIANA TALKS ABOUT THE GIANTS’ 
WELL. — I EESOLVE TO VISIT IT. — PKEPARATIONS TO ASCEND 
THE MOUNTAINS. — WHAT HAPPENED TO YULIANA AND TO ME. 
— REFLECTION AND THEN ACTION. — HOW I CONTRIVED TO 
CONTINUE THE ASCENT WITHOUT YULIANA FOR A GUIDE. 

It was a day or so before I could walk steadily, and meantime 
I made unusual efforts to keep my brain quiet, but in spite of 
all I could do every mention of the Giants’ Well by one of the 
peasants sent a strange thrill through me, and I would find my- 
self suddenly pacing up and down the floor, and repeating over 
and over again the words, “ Giants’ Well ! Giants’ Well ! ” 
Bulger was greatly troubled in his mind, and sat watching 
me with a most bewildered look in his loving eyes. He had 
half a suspicion, I think, that that cruel blow from Ivan’s whip- 
handle had injured my reasoning powers, for at times he uttered 
a low, plaintive whine. The moment I took notice of him, how- 
ever, and acted more like myself, he gamboled about me in the 
wildest delight. As I had directed the peasants to drive Ivan’s 
horses back towards Hitch on the Hitch, until they should meet 
that miscreant and deliver them to him, I was now without any 
means of continuing my journey northward, unless I set out, 
like many of my famous predecessors, on foot. They had longer 
legs than I, however, and were not loaded with so heavy a brain 
in proportion to their size, and a brain, too, that scarcely ever 
slept, at least not soundly. I was too impatient to reach the 
portals to the World within a World to go trudging along a 
dusty highway. I must have horses and another tarantass, or 
at least a peasant’s cart. I must push on. My head was quite 
healed now, and my fever gone. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


21 


“Hearken, little master,” whispered Yuliana; such was the 
name of the old woman who had taken care of me, “ thou art 
not what thou seemst. I never saw the like of thee before. If 
thou wouldst, I believe thou couldst tell me how high the sky 
is, how thick through the mountains are, and how deep the 
Giants’ Well is.” 

I smiled, and then I said, — 

“Didst ever drink from the Giants’ Well, Yuliana?” 

At which she wagged her head and sent forth a low chuckle. 

“Hearken, little master,” she then whispered, coming close 
to me, and holding up one of her long, bony fingers, “thou 
canst not trick me — thou knowest that the Giants’ Well hath 
no bottom.” 

“No bottom?” I repeated breathlessly, as Don Fum’s mys- 
terious words, “ The people will tell thee ! ” flashed through my 
mind. “No bottom, Yuliana?” 

“Not unless thine eyes are better than mine, little master,” 
she murmured, nodding her head slowly. 

“Listen, Yuliana,” I burst out impetuously, “where is this 
bottomless well ? Thou shalt lead me to it ; I must see it. 
Come, let’s start at once. Thou shalt be well paid for thy 
pains.” 

“ Nay, nay, little master, not so fast,” she replied. “ It’s far 
up the mountains. The way is steep and rugged, the paths are 
narrow and winding, a false step might mean instant death, 
were there not some strong hand to save thee. Give up such a 
mad thought as ever getting there, except it be on the stout 
shoulders of some mountaineer.” 

“ Ah, good woman,” was my reply, “ thou hast just said that 
I am not what I seem, and thou saidst truly. Know, then, thou 
seest before thee the world-renowned traveller, Wilhelm Hein- 
rich Sebastian von Troomp, commonly called ‘Little Baron 
Trump,’ that though short of stature and frail of limb, yet 
what there is of me is of iron. There, Yuliana, there’s gold for 
thee ; now lead the way to the Giants’ Well.” 


22 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


“ Gently, gently, little baron,” almost whispered the old 
peasant woman, as her shrivelled hand closed upon the gold 
piece. “ I have not told thee all. For leagues about, I ween, 
no living being excepting me knows where the Giants’ Well is. 
Ask them and they’ll say, “It’s up yonder in the mountains, 
away up under the eaves of the sky. That’s all. That’s all 
they can tell thee. But, little master, I know where it is, and 
the very herb that cured thy hurt head and saved thee from 
certain death by cooling thy blood, was plucked by me from the 
brink of the well ! ” These words sent a thrill of joy through 
me, for now I felt that I was on the right road, that the words 
of the great master of all masters, Don Fum, had come true. 

“ The people will tell thee ! ” 

Ay, the people had told me, for now there was not the faintest 
shadow of doubt in my mind that I had found the portals to the 
World within a World ! Yuliana should be my guide. She 
knew how to thread her way up the narrow pass, to turn aside 
from overhanging rocks which a mere touch might topple over, 
to find the steps which nature had hewn in the sides of the 
rock}^ parapets, and to pursue her way safely through clefts and 
gorges, even the entrance to which might be invisible to ordi- 
nary eyes. However, in order that the superstitious peasants 
might be kept friendly to me, I gave it out that I was about to 
betake myself to the mountains in search of curiosities for my 
cabinet, and begged them to furnish me with ropes and tackle, 
with two good stout fellows to carry it for me, promising gen- 
erous payment for the services. 

They made haste to provide me with all I asked for, and we 
set out for the mountain path at daybreak. Yuliana, in order 
not to seem to be of the party, had gone on ahead by the light 
of the moon, telling her people that she wished to gather certain 
herbs before the sun’s rays struck them and dried the healing 
dew that beaded their leaves. 

All went well until the sun was well up over our heads, when 
suddenly I heard a woman, who proved to be Yuliana, utter a 


ALONG A HIGHWAY OF THE UNDER WORLD. 





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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


25 


piercing scream. In a moment or so the mystery was solved. 
The old beldam came rushing down the mountain, her thin wisp 
of gray hair fluttering in the wind. Her hands were tied behind 
her, and two young peasants with birchen rods were beating her 
every chance they got. 

“ Turn back, turn back, brothei*s,” they cried to my two men. 
“ The little wizard there has struck hands with this old witch. 
They’re on their way to the Giants’ Well. They’ll loosen a 
band of black spirits about our ears. We shall all be bewitched. 
Quick ! Quick! Cast off the loads ye’re bearing and follow us.” 

The two men didn’t wait for a second bidding, and throwing 
the tackle on the ground, they all disappeared like a flash, but 
for several moments I could hear the screams of poor Yuliana 
as these young wretches beat the old woman with their birchen 
rods. 

Well, dear readers, what say ye to this? Was I not in a 
pleasant position truly ? Alone with Bulger in that wild and 
gloomy mountain region, the black rocks hanging like frowning 
giants and ogres over our heads, with the dwarf pines for hair, 
clumps of white moss for eyes, vast, gaping cracks for mouths, 
and gnarled and twisted roots for terrible fingers, ready to reach 
down for my poor little weazen frame. 

Did I fall a-trembling ? Did I make haste^ to follow those 
craven spirits down the mountain side ? Did I shift the peg of 
my courage a single hole lower ? 

Not I. If I had I wouldn’t have been worthy of the name I 
bore. What I did do was to throw myself at full length on a 
bed of moss, call Bulger to my side, and close my eyes to the 
outer world. 

I have heard of great men going to bed at high noon to give 
themselves up to thought, and I had often done it myself before 
I had heard of their doing it. 

In fifteen minutes, by nature’s watch — the sun on the face 
of the mountain — I had solved the problem. Now, there were 
two difficulties staring me in the face ; namely, to find some- 


26 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


body to show me the way up the mountain, and if that body 
couldn’t carry my tackle, then to find somebody else who could. 

It suddenly occurred to me that I had noticed some cattle 
grazing at the foot of the mountain, and, what’s more, that these 
cattle wore very peculiar yokes. 

“ What are those yokes for?” I asked myself, for they were of 
a make quite different from any that I remembered ever having 
seen, and consisted of a stout wooden collar from the bottom of 
which there projected backward between the beast’s forelegs a 
straight piece of wood armed with an iron spike pointing toward 
the ground. At the top the yoke was bound by a leather thong 
to the animal’s horns. So long, therefore, as the beast held his 
head naturally or even lowered it to graze, the yoke was drawn 
forward and the hook was kept free from the ground, but the 
very moment the animal raised his head in the air, at once the 
hook was thrown into the ground and lie was prevented from 
taking another step forward. Now, dear readers, you may or 
may not know that when a cleft-hoofed animal starts to ascend 
a steep bank, unlike a solid-hoofed beast, he throws his head into 
the air instead of lowering it, and therefore it struck me at once 
that the purpose of this yoke was to keep the cattle from making 
their way up the sides of the mountain and getting lost. 

But why should they want to clamber up the mountain sides ? 
Simply because there was some kind of grass or herbage growing 
up there which was a delicacy to them, and knowing, as I well 
did, what risks animals will take and what fatigue they will 
undergo to reach a favorite grazing-ground, it struck me at once 
that if I would make it possible for them to reach this favorite 
food of theirs, they would be very glad to give me a lift on my 
way. 

No sooner said than done. I forthwith retraced my steps 
until I fell in with a group of these cattle ; and it did not take 
me many minutes to loosen their yokes from their horns and tie 
the hooks up under their bodies so that their progress up hill 
would not be interfered with. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


27 


They were delighted to find themselves so unexpectedly freed 
from the hateful drawback which permitted them merely to 
view the coveted grazing-grounds from afar, and then having 
cut me a suitable goad, I again started up the mountain, driving 
my new friends leisurely on ahead of me. 

Upon reaching the spot where the superstitious peasants had 
tlirown the tackle to the ground, I proceeded to load it upon the 
back of the gentlest beast of the lot, and was soon on my way 
again. 


28 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER V 

UP AISTD STILL UP, AND THROUGH THE QUARRIES OF THE 
DEMONS. — HOW THE CATTLE KEPT THE TRAIL, AND HOW WE 
CAME AT LAST UPON THE BRINK OF THE GIANTS’ WELL. — 
THE TERRACES ARE SAFELY PASSED. — BEGINNING OF THE 
DESCENT INTO THE WELL ITSELF. — ALL DIFFICULTIES OVER- 
COME. — WE REACH THE EDGE OF POLYPHEMUS’ FUNNEL. 

Generally speaking, people with very large heads are fitted 
out by nature with a pair of rather pipe-stemmy legs, but such 
was not my case. I was blest with legs of the sturdiest sort, 
and found no difficulty in keeping pace with my new four-footed 
friends who, to my delight, were not long in convincing me that 
they had been there before. Not for an instant did they halt at 
any fork in the path, but kept continually on the move, often 
passing over stretches of ground where there was no trail visible, 
but coming upon it again with unfailing accuracy. Once only 
they halted, and that was to slake their thirst at a mountain rill, 
Bulger and I following their example. 

It was only too evident to me that they had in mind a certain 
grazing-ground, and were resolved to be satisfied with no other ; 
so I let them have their own way, for, as it was still up, up, up, I 
felt that it was perfectly safe to follow their lead. 

At last the mountain side began to take on quite another 
character. The gorges grew narrower, and at times overhanging 
rocks shut out the sunlight almost entirely. We were entering 
a region of peculiar wildness, of fantastic grandeur. 

I had often read of what travellers termed the “ Quarries of 
the Demons ” in the Northern Urals, but never till now had I 
the faintest notion of what the expression meant. 

Imagine to yourself the usual look of ruin and devastation 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY. 


29 


around and about a quarry worked by human hands, then in 
your thoughts conceive every chip to be a block, and every block 
a mass ; add four times its size to every slab and post and pecU- 
ment, and then turn a mighty torrent through the place and roll 
and twist and lift them up in wild confusion, end on end and on 
each other piled, till these wild waters have builded fantastic 
portals to temples more fantastic, and arched wild gorges with 
roofs of rock which seem to hang so lightly that a breath or 
footfall might bring them down with terrible crash, and then, 
dear friends, you may succeed in getting a faint idea of the wild 
and awful grandeur of the scene which now lay spread out 
before me. 

Would the cattle that had now led Bulger and me so safely 
up the mountain side know where to find an entrance to this 
wilderness of broken rock, and what was more important still, 
would they, when once engaged within its winding courts and 
corridors, its darkened maze of wall and parapet, its streets and 
plazas roughly paved as if by demon hands impatient of the 
task, know how to find their way out again ? 

Dear friends, man has always been too distrustful of his four- 
footed companions. They have much that they might tell us 
had they but speech to tell it with. I have often trusted them 
when it would have seemed foolliardy to you, and never once 
have I had cause to repent of doing so. 

So Bulger and I, with stout hearts, followed straight after 
these silent guides, although I must confess my legs were begin- 
ning to feel the terrible strain I had put them to ; but I resolved 
to push on ahead, at least until we had cleared the Demons’ 
Quarry, and then to bring my little herd to a halt and pass 
the rest of the day and the night season in well-earned 
repose. 

Once within the quarry, however, all sense of fatigue vanished, 
and my thankful mind, entranced and fascinated by the deep 
silence, the awful grandeur, the mysterious lights and shadows 
of the place, lent me new strength. At length we had traversed 


30 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


this city of silence and gloom, and once again we emerged into 
the full glory of the afternoon sun. 

Suddenly my little drove of cattle, with playful tossing of 
their heads, broke into a run, Bulger and I at their heels, hov^- 
ever. It was a mad race ; but, dear friends, when it ended I 
took off my fur cap and tossed it high into the air with a wild 
cry of joy, and Bulger broke out in a string of yelps and barks, 
for, look ye, the cattle were grazing away for dear life there in 
front of me, and as their breath reached me my keen nostrils 
recognized the odor of Yuliana’s herbs which she had bound on 
my hurt head. 

Yes, we stood almost upon the brink of the Giants’ Well, 
but I was too tired to take another step farther, too tired, in 
fact, to eat, although I had a stock of dried fruit in my pockets, 
and noticed that the nests of the wild fowl were well supplied 
with eggs. Having unloosened the tackle from the back of the 
good beast that had carried it up the mountain for me, I threw 
myself on the ground and was soon fast asleep, with my faithful 
Bulger coiled up close against my breast. 

In the morning the cattle were nowhere to be seen, but I 
didn’t trouble myself about them, for I knew that old Yuliana 
would be sent up after them the moment they were missed. 
After a hearty breakfast on half a dozen roasted eggs of the 
wild fowl, with some dried fruit and wintergreen berries, Bulger 
and I advanced to the edge of the Giants’ Well, or, rather, to the 
edge of the vast terraces of rock leading down to it, each of 
which was from thirty to fifty feet in sheer height. 

Before I go any farther, dear friends, I must beg you to 
remember that I am an expert in the use of tackle, there being 
no knot, noose, or splice known to a sailor which I didn’t have 
at my fingers’ ends, a fact not to be wondered at when you take 
into consideration the thousands of miles which I have travelled 
on water. 

Nor would I have you shake your heads and look only half 
persuaded when I go on describing our descent into the Giants’ 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


31 


Well, for of course you’ll be asking yourselves how I succeeded 
in getting the tackle down when there was no one left at the 
other end to untie it ! 

Know, then, that that was the smallest of my troubles ; for, as 
any sailor will tell you, you only need to tie your line in what 
is known as a “ fool’s knot,” to one end of which you make fast 
a mere cord. The moment you have reached the bottom, a 
sharp tug at the cord unties the fool’s knot, and your tackle 
falls down after you. My method was to lower Bulger down 
first, and then let myself down after him. In this way we pro- 
ceeded from parapet to parapet, until at last we stood upon the 
very edge of the vast well, the existence of which had been so 
mysteriously hinted at in Don Fum’s manuscript. Its mouth 
was probably fifty feet in width, and by straining my eyes I 
satisfied myself of the existence of a shelf of rock on one side, 
as nearly as I could judge about seventy-five feet down. It was 
a goodly stretch, and would require every foot of my rope. 
You will not smile. I’m sure, when I tell you that I pressed 
Bulger to my breast, and kissed him fondly before lowering 
away. He returned my caresses, and by his joyous yelp gave 
me to understand that he had perfect faith in his little master. 

In a few moments I had joined him on this narrow shelf of 
rock. Below us now was darkness, but think you I hesitated ? 
I knew that my eyes would soon become accustomed to the 
gloom, and I also knew that when my eyes failed Bulger’s 
keener ones were there to help me out. 

I rigged my tackle now with extra care, for I was really low- 
ering my little brother on a sort of trip of discovery. 

He was soon out of sight, and then, in spite of my calmness, 
I drew a quick breath, and my heart started upward a barley- 
corn or so. But hark ! his quick, sharp bark comes plainly up 
to me. It means that he has landed upon a safe shelf or ledge, 
and the next moment my legs encircled the rope, and I began 
to glide noiselessly down into the stilly depths, his glad voice 
ringing in my ears. 


32 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Again and again did I send niy wise and watchful little 
brother down ahead of me, until at last, standing there and 
looking up, naught remained to me of the mighty outside world 
but a bright silver speck, like a tiny ray of light streaming 
through a pin-hole in the curtains of your chamber. 

But stop, have we reached the bottom of the Giants’ Well? 
for with a trial plummet I find that the walls are no longer 
sheer ; they slope inward, and gently too, almost so much so 
that I hardly need a line to continue my descent. Lighting 
one of my little tapers, I make my way cautiously around the 
edge. In half an hour I find myself back at the starting-place. 
The curve to the path has been always the same, while my trial 
plummet at all times has indicated the same slope to the rocky 
basin. And then for the first time, two certain words made use 
of by that learned Master of Masters, Don Fum, till then a 
mystery to me, stood out before my eyes as if written with a pen 
of fii'e upon those black walls thousands of feet below the great 
world of light which I had quitted a few hours before. Those 
words were Polyphemus’ Funnel I Yes, there could be no doubt 
of it : I had reached the bottom of the Giants’ W ell. I stood 
upon the edge of Polyphemus’ Funnel I 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


33 


CHAPTER VI 

MY DESPAIR UPON FINDING THE PIPE OF THE FUNNEL TOO 
SMALL FOR MY BODY. — A RAY OF HOPE BREAKS IN UPON 
ME. — FULL ACCOUNT OF HOAY I SUCCEEDED IN ENTERING 
THE PIPE OF THE FUNNEL. — MY PASSAGE THROUGH IT. — 

Bulger's timely aid. — the marble HIGH^YAY and some 

CURIOUS THINGS CONCERNING THE ENTRANCE TO THE ^YORLD 
WITHIN A WORLD. 

The rocky sides of Polyphemus’ Funnel were apparently as 
well polished as those of any tin funnel that I had ever seen 
hanging in the kitchen of Castle Trump, so making fast my 
tackle and taking Bulger in my arms, away we went sliding down 
the side with the line passed under my arm for safety’s sake. 

It was nearly a hundred feet to the bottom, for I had measured 
off the full length of my line before I had come to the apex of 
this gigantic cone, and not caring to tumble headlong down its 
pipe, I proceeded to light a taper and look about me. 

Ah, dear friends, 1 can feel that shudder now, so terrible was 
it, and what wonder, too, for a glance at the pipe of the funnel 
told me that it was too small to let my body pass through. The 
agonizing thought flashed through my mind that I had com- 
mitted a terrible error — that I had mistaken some vast pit for 
the Giants’ Well, that I had thrown Bulger’s and my own life 
away in mad and unreasoning haste, that I should never reach 
the wonderful World within a World, that there in that thick 
gloom must we lay our bodies and bones. 

Or, thought I, may not the learned Master of Masters, Don 
Fum, have made an error himself in holding out the idea that 
the pipe of Polyphemus’ Funnel was large enough to admit the 
passage of a man’s body? 


34 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


[ii my almost frenzy I advanced to the mouth of the pipe, and, 
lowering myself into it, let my body sink as far as it would. 

ft caught at the slioulders, and after a careful examination 
I was forced to reach the brain-racking conclusion that my 
faithful Bulger and I had travelled our last mile together. 

There was nothing for us to do but to lie down and die. 

Lie down and die? Never! I had noticed in making the 
descent into the Giants’ Well that its side had much the appear- 
ance of being walled around by blocks of stone. With Bulger 
strapped to my back I would slowly climb up from shelf to shelf 
until my strength failed me, and then I would wait until I 
thought old Yuliana had come back to gather herbs, and possi- 
bly I might make her hear me. 

In my despair I sighed and clutched my own arms, and as I 
did so one of my hands came into contact with something cold 
and slippery having the feel of tallow. Taking a pinch of the 
substance between my thumb and finger, I rubbed it thoughtfully 
for a moment, and then a ray of hope broke through the awful 
gloom that enshrouded me so pitilessly. It Avas black lead — 
there could be no doubt of it. It had made its way through a 
crack or crevice in Polyphemus’ Funnel, and I had rubbed it 
off in sliding down the side. With this greasy material to rub 
on the inside of the pipe to the funnel, and also to besmear 
myself with, mayhap I might yet slip through into the World 
within a W orld ! 

At any rate, I determined to make the trial, even if I left some 
of my skin on the flinty rock. 

In order to collect my thoughts thoroughly, and that I might 
proceed step by step in that systematic order so characteristic 
of all my wonderful exploits, I sat down, and putting my arm 
around dear Bulger’s neck and drawing him up against me, I 
communed with myself for a good half-hour. 

Then all was in readiness for action ; and to prove to you, dear 
friends, how careful Bulger was not to interrupt my train of 
thought, I have to report to you that although a small animal of 



BKFORE her majesty GALAXA» queen of the MIKKAMENKIE3. 




A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


37 


the rat family came out from a crevice in the rock while I sat 
there thinking, as 1 could see by the light of my tiny wax taper, 
and had the temerity first to snifi; at Bulger’s tail and then to 
give it a playful nip, yet the sagacious animal never budged 
a hair’s breadth. 

‘‘ Mind hath ordered, now let hands obey! ” I exclaimed, as I 
sprang up and began stripping oft' my outer garments. This 
done, I clambered up on the side of the funnel, and began to 
collect a supply of the black lead, which I deposited near the 
opening of the pipe. The next thing to do was to get Bulger 
through tlie pipe ahead of me. To this end I tied him up in my 
clothing, bag fashion, and began to lower away. 

After paying out sixty-five or seventy feet of the line, he 
struck bottom, and by his loud barking gave me to understand 
that it was all rigid, that I might make the descent myself. 
I'pon hearing his voice, I gave the line a few sharp tugs. lie 
was not slow to comprehend my meaning, and in a moment or 
so had not only scrambled out of the bag himself, but pulled my 
clothing loose, so that I might draw the line up again. 

My next step was to contrive a way to weight myself when 
the moment arrived to begin the descent, for I felt sure that I 
never should be able to arrange it so as to slip through the pipe 
unless something was pulling at my heels. 

Cutting off about ten feet of the rope, I made fast one end of 
the piece to a long piece of rock, weighing about a hundred 
pounds. This I laid near the mouth of the pipe ready for use. 
But now came the most difficult thing of all — it was to draw 
my shoulders in on my breast and lash them securely in that 
position, by which plan I expected to reduce my width Iw at 
least two good inches. 

These two inches thus gained, or, rather, lost, might be the 
means by which I would be able to slip through the pipe of 
Polyphemus’ Funnel and reach the vast underground passage 
leading to the World within a World. Putting a noose around 
my chest, just below my collar bone, I drew my shoulders in as 


38 


A MAKVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


tight as 1 could bear, and changed the slip knot into a hard one ; 
then having made the other end of the line fast to the side of 
the funnel, I proceeded to wind myself up as the housewives 
often do a big sausage to keep it from bursting. This done, I 
set about rolling in the black lead until I was thoroughly 
smeared with it. 

There was now but one thing more to do before dropping my- 
self into the pipe, and that was to make fast the weight to my 
feet. It was no easy task, wound up as I was, with my arms 
lashed down against my body, but by the use of slip knots I 
finally accomplished the feat, and sitting down put my legs into 
the pipe and drew a long breath, for I felt as if I was skewered 
up in a straight jacket. 

Bending down, I called out to Bulger. He answered with a 
yelp of joy that brought fresh vigor to my heart. Now was 
come the supreme moment which was to witness suecess or 
failure. Failure ! Oh, what a dread word is that! and yet how 
often must human lips pronounce it, and in so doing breathe out 
the sigh in which it ends ! Quickly lowering the weight, I 
wriggled off the edge of the opening, and straightened myself 
out as I slipped into the pipe. 

Had I stopped it like a cork, or was I moving? Yes, down, 
down, gently, slowly, noiselessly, I went slipping through the 
pipe to Polyphemus’ Funnel. What did I care how that weight 
caused the line to cut into my ankles ? I was moving, I was 
drawing nearer and nearer to Bulger, whose joyous bark I could 
hear now and then, nearer to the inner gates of the World 
Avithin a W orld 1 

But woe is me ! I suddenly stop, and in spite of all my efforts 
to start again by twisting, turning, and shaking my body, it 
refused to sink another inch, and there I stick. 

“ Oh, Bulger, Bulger,” I moan, “ faithful friend, if thou 
couldst but reach me, one tug from thee might save thy little 
master ! ” 

In a sort of a wild and desperate way I now began to feel about 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


39 


me as well as I could with my hands wedged in so close to my 
sides, but in a moment or so I had discovered tlie cause of my 
coming to such a sudden standstill. 

I had struck a portion of the pipe that had a thread to it, like 
that which encircles a bolt of iron and makes a screw of it, and 
the thought came to me that if I could only succeed in giving 
a revolving motion to my body, I would with every turn twist 
myself farther down toward the end of the pipe. 

I could feel that my knuckles and finger tips were being 
bruised and lacerated by this arduous work, but what cared I 
for the keen pain that darted from hands to wrists, and wrists 
to elbows ! It was like twisting a screw slowly through a 
long nut, only the thread in this case was on the nut and the 
grooves in the screw, and that screw was my poor bruised little 
body ! 

All of a sudden, by the swinging of the weight, I could tell 
that it had passed out at the lower end of the pipe. It was pull- 
ing cruelly hard on my tender ankles, but I could twist myself 
no more ; my strength was gone. I was at the point of swoon- 
ing when I heard Bulger utter a loud yelp, and the next instant 
there was such a strong tug at my ankles that I sent forth a 
groan, but that tug saved me ! It was Bulger who liad leaped 
into the air, and catching the rope in his teeth had dragged his 
little master out of the pipe of Polyphemus’ Funnel ! 

We all fell into the same heap, Bulger, I, and the weight, 
fully ten feet, and very serious might have been the consequences 
for me had my fall not been broken by my striking on the pile 
of my clothing placed directly under the opening; and, dear 
friends, if you talked until the crack o’ doom you could not 
make me believe that my four-footed brotlier hadn’t placed 
those clothes there to catch me. 

They weren’t thrown higgledy-piggledy into a heap either, 
but were laid one upon the other, the heaviest at the 
bottom. 

Having unwound myself and lighted one of my wax tapers, 


40 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


I made haste to cast away the undergarment with its coating of 
black lead and resume my clothing; then stooping down, I made 
an examination of the floor. It was composed of huge blocks of 
marble of various colors, polished almost as smooth as if the 
hand of man had wrought the work ; and then I knew that I was 
on Nature’s Marble Highway leading to the cities of the under 
world which Don Fum had mentioned in his book, and I remem- 
bered, too, that he had spoken of Nature’s Mighty Mosaics, 
huge fantastic figures on the walls of these lofty corridors, made 
up of various colored blocks and fragments laid one upon the 
other as if with design, and not by the wild, tempestuous whims 
of upbursting forces thousands of years ago, when the earth was 
in its mad and wayward youth. After a rest of several hours, 
during which I nursed my torn hands and bruised fingers, Bulger 
and I were up and off again along this broad and glorious Marble 
Highway. Strange to say, it was not the inky darkness of the 
ordinary cavern which filled these magnificent chambers, through 
which the Marble Highway went winding in stately and massive 
grandeur ; far from it. The gloom was tempered by a faint glow 
that met us on the way ever and anon, like a ray of twilight 
gone astray. Anyway, Bulger, I noticed, could see perfectly 
well ; so tying a bit of twine to his collar, I sent him on ahead, 
convinced that I could have no surer guide. 

At times our path would be lighted up for an instant by the 
bursting-out of a little tongue of flame either^ on the sides or 
from the roof of the gallery. I was puzzled for quite a while to 
tell what it proceeded from ; but at last I caught sight of the 
source, or rather the maker, of this welcome illumination. It 
proceeded from a lizard-like animal, which, by suddenly uncoil- 
ing its tail, had the power to emit this extremely bright flash of 
phosphorescent light, and in so doing he made a sharp crack, 
for all the world like the noise of an electric spark. Bulger 
was delighted with this performance ; and on one occasion, not 
being able to control his feeling, he uttered a sharp bark, where- 
upon apparently ten thousand of these little torch-bearers 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


41 


snapped their tails at me at the same instant, and filled the 
vast place with a flash of light of almost lightning-like 
intensity. 

Bulger was so frightened by the result of his applause that 
he took good care to keep quiet after this. 


42 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER VII 

OUR FIRST NIGHT IN THE UNDER WORLD, AND HOW IT WAS 
FOLLOWED BY THE FIRST BREAK OF DAY. — BULGER’s 
WARNING AND WHAT IT MEANT. — WE FALL IN WITH AN 
INHABITANT OF THE WORLD WITHIN A WORLD. — HIS 
NAME AND CALLING. — MYSTERIOUS RETURN OF NIGHT. — 
THE LAND OF BEDS, AND HOW OUR NEAV FRIEND PROVIDED 
ONE FOR US. 

So heavy with sleep did my eyelids become at last that I knew 
that it must be night in the outer world, and so we halted, and 
I stretched myself at full length on that marble floor, which, by 
the way, was pleasantly warm beneath us ; and the air, too, was 
strangely comforting to the lungs, there being a complete absence 
of that smell of earth and odor of dampness so common in vast 
subterranean chambers. 

My sleep was long-continued and most refreshing; Bulger 
was already awake, however, when I sat up and tried to look 
about me. 

He began tugging at the string which I had fastened to his 
collar as if he wanted to lead me somewhere, so I humored him 
and followed along after. To my delight he led me straight to 
a pool of deliciously sweet and cold water. Here we drank our 
fill, and after a very frugal breakfast on some dried figs set out 
again on our journey along the iMarble Highway. Suddenly, to 
my more than joy, the faint and uncertain light of the place 
began to strengthen. Why, it seemed almost as if the day of 
the upper world were about to break, so delicate were the vari- 
ous hues in which the ever-increasing light clothed itself : then, 
as if affrighted at its own increasing glory, it would fade away 
again to almost gloom. Ere many moments again this faint and 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


43 


mysterious glow would return, beginning with the softest yellow, 
then changing through a dozen different tints, and, like a fickle 
maid uncertain which to wear, put all aside and doii the lily’s 
garb. Bulger and I wandered along the Marble Highway 
almost afraid to break a stillness so deep that it seemed to me 
as if I could hear those sportive rays of light in their play 
against the many-colored rocks arching this mighty corridor. 

Now, as the Marble Highway swept around in a graceful curve, 
a dazzling flood of light burst upon us. 

It was sunrise in the World within a World. 

Whence came this flood of dazzling light which now caused 
the sides and arching roof to glow and sparkle as if we had sud- 
denly entered one of Nature’s vast storehouses of polished gems ? 
Shading my eyes with my hand I looked about me in order to 
try and solve the mystery. 

It did not take me long to undei-stand it all. Know then, 
dear friends, that the ceilings, domes, and arched roofs of this 
underground world were fretted with a metal of greater hardness 
than any known to us children of sunshine. Its seams ran 
liither and thither like the veins of gigantic leaves ; and at certain 
hours currents of electricity from some vast internal reservoir 
of Nature’s own building, streamed through these metal traceries 
until they glowed with a heat so white as to give off the flood 
of dazzling light of which I have already spoken. 

The current never came with a sudden rush or burst, but 
began gently and timidly, so to speak, as if feeling its way along. 
Hence the beautiful tints that always preceded sunrise in this 
lower world, and made it so much like the coming and going of 
our glorious sunshine. 

The Marble Highway now divided, and the two lialves of the 
fork curving away to the right and left enclosed a small but 
exquisitely ornamented park, or pleasure ground I might call it, 
provided with seats of some dark wood beautifully polished and 
carved. This park was ornamented with four fountains, each 
springing from a crystal basin and spreading out into a feathery 


44 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


spray that glistened like whirling snow in the dazzling white 
light. As Bulger and I directed our steps toward one of the 
benches with the intention of taking a good rest, a low growl 
from him warned me to be on the alert. I gave a second look. 
A human being was seated on the bench. Beside mj^self, as I 
was, with curiosity to come face to face with this inhabitant of 
the under world, the first we had met, I made a halt, determined 
to ascertain, if possible, whether he was quite harmless before 
accosting him. 

He was small in stature, and clad entirely in black, a sort of 
loose, flowing robe much like a Roman toga. His head was bare, 
and what I could see of it was round, smooth, and rosy, with 
about as much hair, or rather fuzz, upon it as the head of an 
infant six weeks old. His face was hidden by a black fan which 
he carried in his right hand, and the uses of which you will 
learn later on. His eyes were shielded from the intense glare of 
the light by a pair of colored glass goggles. As he raised his 
hand between me and the light I couldn’t help catching my 
breath. I could see right through it : the bones were as clear 
as amber. And his head, too, was only a little less opaque. 
Suddenly two words from Don Finn’s manuscript flashed through 
my mind, and I exclaimed joyously, — 

“ Bulger, we’re in the Land of the Transparent Folk ! ” 

At the sound of my voice the little man arose and made a 
low bow, lowering his fan to his breast where he held it. His 
baby face was ludicrously sad and solemn. 

“ Yes, Sir Stranger,” said he, in a low, musical voice, “ thou 
art indeed in the Land of the Mikkamenkies (Mica Men), in the 
Land of the Transparent Folk, called also Goggle Land; but if 
1 should show thee my heart thou wouldst see that I am deeply 
pained to think that I should have been the first to bid thee 
welcome, for know. Sir Stranger, that thou speakest with Master 
Cold Soul the Court Depressor, the saddest man in all Goggle 
Land, and, by the way, sir, permit me to offer thee a pair of gog- 
gles for thyself, and also a pair for thy four-footed companion. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


45 


for our intense white light would blind thee both in a few 
days.” 

I thanked Master Cold Soul very warmly for the goggles, and 
proceeded to set one pair astride my nose and to tie the other in 
front of Bulger’s eyes. I then in most courteous manner in- 
formed Master Cold Soul who I was, and begged him to explain 
the cause of his great sadness. “ Well, thou must know, little 
baron ” said he, after I had taken a seat beside him on the bench, 
“that we, the loving subjects of Queen Galaxa, whose royal 
heart is almost run down, — excuse these tears, living as we do 
in this beautiful world so unlike the one you inhabit, which our 
wise men tell us is built, strange to say, on the very outside of 
the earth’s crust where it is most exposed to the full sweep of 
blinding snow, freezing blast, pelting hail, drowning rain, and 
choking dust, — living as we do, I say, in this vast temple by 
Nature’s own hands builded, where disease is unknown, ancl where 
our hearts run down like clocks that may have but one winding, 
we are prone, alas, to be too happy ; to laugh too much ; to spend 
too much time in idle gayety, chattering the time away like 
thoughtless children amused with baubles, delighted with tinsel 
nothings. Know then, little baron, that mine is the business to 
check this gayety, to put an end to this childish glee, to depress 
our people’s spirits, lest they run too high. Hence my garb of 
inky hue, my rueful countenance, my frequent outflowing of 
tears, my voice ever attuned to sadness. Excuse me, little 
baron, my fan slipped then; didst see through me ? I would not 
have thee see my heart to-day, for some way or other I cannot 
bring it to a slow pace ; it is dreadfully unruly.” 

I assured him that I had not seen through him as yet. 

And now, dear friends, I must explain that by the laws of the 
Mikkamenkies each man, woman, and child must wear in their 
garments a heart-shaped opening on their breast directly over 
tlieir hearts, with a corresponding one at the back, so that 
under certain conditions, when the law allows it, each may have 
the right to take a look at his neighbor’s heart and see exactly 


46 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


how it is beating — whether fast or slow, whether throbbing 
or leaping, or whether pulsating calinl}^ and naturally. But this 
privilege is only accorded, as I have said, under certain condi- 
tions, hence to shut off inquisitive glances each Mikkamenky is 
allowed to carry a black fan with which to cover the heart- 
shaped opening above described, and in this way conceal his or 
her feelings to a degree. I sa}" to a degree, for I may as well tell 
you right here that falsehood is unknown, or, more correctly 
stated, impossible in the land of the Transparent Folk, for the 
reason that so wondrously clear, limpid, and crystal-like are 
their eyes that the slightest attempt to say one thing while tliey 
are thinking another roils and clouds them as if a drop of milk 
had fallen into a glass of the purest water. 

As I sat gazing at this strange little being seated on the bench 
there beside me, I recalled a conversation which I had had with 
a learned Russian at Solvitchegodsk. Said he, speaking of his 
people, “We are all born with light hair, brilliant eyes, and 
pale faces, for we have sprung up under the ^now.” And I 
thought to myself how delighted, how entranced, he would have 
been to look upon this curious being, born not under the snow, 
but far under the surface of the earth, where in these vast 
chambers of this World within a World, this strange folk had, 
like plants grown in a dark, deep cellar, gradually parted with 
all their coloring until their eyes glowed like orbs of pure crys- 
tal, until their bones had been bleached to amber clearness, and 
their blood coursed colorless through colorless veins. 

While sitting there following out this train of thought, the 
clear white light suddenly began to flicker and to play fantastic 
tricks upon the walls by dancing in garbs of ever-changing hues, 
now brightest yellow, now palest green, now glorious purple, 
now deepest crimson. 

“ Ah, little baron ! ” exclaimed Master Cold Soul, “ that was 
an uncommonly short day. Rise, please.” 

I made haste to obey, whereupon he touched a spring and the 
bench opened in the centre, disclosing two very comfortable beds. 








A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


49 


“ In a few moments night will be upon us,” continued the 
Mikkamenky, “ but thou seest that we have not been taken by 
surprise. I should explain to thee, little baron, that owing to 
the capricious manner in which our River of Light is apt both to 
begin and to cease flowing, we are never able to tell how long 
a day or a night will prove to be. This is what we call twilight. 
In thy world I suppose day goes out with a terrible bang, for 
our wise men tell us that nothing can be done in the upper world 
without making a noise ; that your people really love noise ; and 
that the man who makes the greatest noise is considered the 
greatest man. 

“ Owing to the fact, little baron, that no one in Goggle 
Land can tell how long the day will last, or how long it may be 
necessary to sleep, our laws permit no one to set any exact time 
when a thing shall be done, or to exact any promise to do this or 
that on a certain day, for, bless thy soul, that day may not be 
ten minutes long. Hence we say, ‘ If to-morrow be over five 
hours long, come to me at the beginning of the sixth hour ; ’ and 
we never wish each other a plain good-night, but say, ‘ Good- 
night, as long as it lasts.’ 

“What’s more, little baron, as night is apt to come upon us 
this way unawares, by law all the beds belong to the state ; no 
one is allowed to own his own bed, for when night overtakes 
him he may be at the other end of the city, and some other sub- 
ject of Queen Galaxa may be in front of his door, and no matter 
where night may overtake a Mikkamenky, he is sure to find a 
bed. There are beds everywhere. By touching a spring they 
drop from the walls, they pull out like drawers, they are under 
the tables and divans, in the parks, in the market-place, by the 
roadside ; benches, bins, boxes, barrows, and barrels by pressing 
a spring may in an instant be transformed into beds. It is the 
Land of Beds, little baron. But ah I behold, the twilight goes 
to its end. Good-night as long as it lasts ! ” and with this Mas- 
ter Cold Soul stretched himself out and began to snore, having 
first carefully covered up the two holes in the front and back of 


50 


A MABVELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


his garment, so that I shouldn’t have a chance to take a peep 
through him in case I should wake up first. Bulger and I were 
right glad to lay our limbs on a real bed, although from the way 
my four-footed brother followed his tail around and around, I 
could see that he wasn’t particularly delighted with the softness 
of the couch. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


51 


CHAPTER VIII 

“ GOOD-MORNING AS LONG AS IT LASTS.” — PLAIN TALK 
FROM MASTER COLD SOUL. — WONDERS OF GOGGLE LAND. — 
WE ENTER THE CITY OF THE MIKKAMENKIES. — BRIEF DE- 
SCRIPTION OF IT. — OUR APPROACH TO THE ROYAL PALACE. — 
QUEEN GALAX A AND HER CRYSTAL THRONE. — MASTER 
COLD soul’s tears. 

I don’t think the darkness lasted over three hours, perhaps 
it was longer ; but Master Cold Soul was obliged to shake me 
gently ere he could rouse me. 

“ Now, little baron,” said he, after he had wished me a good- 
morning with the usual “ as long as it lasts ” tacked to it, “ if 
thou art quite willing, I’ll conduct thee to the court of our gra- 
cious mistress, Queen Galaxa. Our wise men have often dis- 
coursed to her concerning the upper world and the terrible 
sufferings of its people, exposed as they are to be first frozen by 
the pitiless cold and then burned by the scorching rays of what 
they call their sun, and she will no doubt deign to be pleased at 
sight of thee, although I must warn thee that thou art most 
uncomely, that thou seemst so black and hard to me as scarcely 
to be human, but rather a bit of living earth or rock. I greatly 
fear me that thou wilt make our people extremely vain by com- 
parison. Thy four-footed companion we know well by sight, 
having often seen his petrified image in the rocks of the dark 
chambers of our world.” 

“Master Cold Soul,” said I, as we walked along, “ when thou 
gettest to know me better thou wilt find me more comely, and 
although I shall not be able to show thee my heart, I hope to 
be able to prove to thee and thine that I have such a thing.” 

“ No doubt, no doubt, little baron,” exclaimed Master Cold 


52 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Soul, “ but be not offended. It is not more pleasant for me to 
tell thee these disagreeable things than it is for thee to hear 
them, but I am paid to do it and I must earn my wage. Vanity 
grows apace in our world, and I prick its bubbles whenever I 
see them.” 

To my great wonder I now discovered that the world of the 
Mikkamenkies had its lakes and rivers like our own, only of 
course they were smaller and mirror-faced, being never visited 
by the faintest zephyr. To my question as to whether they 
were peopled with living things. Master Cold Soul informed me 
that they literally swarmed with the most delicious fish, both 
ill scales and shells. 

“ But think not, little baron,” he added, “ that we of Goggle 
Land have no other food than such as we draw from the water ; 
for in our gardens grow many kinds of delicate vegetables, 
springing up in a single night almost as light as foam and just 
as white. But we are small eaters, little baron, and rarely find 
it necessary to put to death a large shellfish. We merely lay 
hold of his great claw, which he obligingly drops into our 
hand, and forthwith sets about growing another.” 

“ But tell me, I pray thee. Master Cold Soul,” said I, “ where 
ye find the silk to weave such soft and beautiful stuff as that 
thy garment is fashioned from ? ” 

“ In this under world of ours, little baron,” replied INIaster 
Cold Soul, “ there are many vast recesses not reached by the 
River of Light, and in these dark chambers flit about huge 
night moths, like restless spirits forever on the wing, but of 
course they are not, for we find their eggs glued against the 
rocky sides of these caverns and collect them carefully. The 
worms that are hatched from them spin huge cocoons so large 
that one may not be hidden in my hand, and these unwound 
give unto our looms all the thread they need.” 

“ And the beautiful Avood,” I continued, “ which I see about 
me carved and fashioned into so many articles, whence comes 
it?” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


53 


“ From the quarries,” answered Master Cold Soul. 

“ Quarries ?” I repeated wonderingly. 

“ Why, yes, little baron,” said he, “ for we have quarries of 
wood as no doubt thou hast quarries of stone. Our wise men 
tell us that thousands and tliousands of years ago vast forests 
grown in your world were in the upheavals and fallings-in of 
the earth’s crust thrust down into ours, the gigantic trunks 
wedged closely together, and standing bolt upright just as they 
grew. At least, so we find them when we have dug away the 
hai-dened clay that has shut them in these many ages. But see, 
little baron, we are now entering the city. Yonder is the 
royal palace — wilt walk with me thither?” 

Ah, dear friends, would that I could make you see this beau- 
tiful city of the under world just as it showed itself to me then, 
spread out so gloriously beneath the glittering domes and 
vaulted corridors, from which poured down upon the exquisitely 
carved and polished entrances to the living chambers of this 
happy folk, a flood of white light apparently more dazzling 
than our noonday sun ! 

It was a sight so strangely beautiful that many times I paused 
to gaze upon it. Young and old, all clad in tlie same gracefully 
flowing garbs of silk, now purple, now royal blue, and now 
rich vermilion, were hurrying hither and thither, each armed 
with the inevitable black fan, and the baby face of each aglow 
with life and sweet content, while a hundred fountains spring- 
ing from crystal basins glistened in the dazzling white light, 
and ten times a hundred flags azid gonfalons hung listless but 
rich in splendor from invisible wires. Strange music came 
floating along from the gracefully shaped barges with silken 
awnings, which were gliding noiselessly over the surface of the 
winding river, the oars stirring the waters until the wake 
seemed a path through molten silver. 

As Bulger and I followed Master Cold Soul along the streets 
of polished marble, it was not long before a crowd of Mikka- 
menkies was at our heels, whispering all sorts of uncompli- 


54 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


mentary things about us, mingled with not a few fits of 
suppressed laughter. 

The Court Depressor reproved them sternly. 

“ Cease your ill-timed mirth,” said he, “ and go about your 
business. Must I pause and tell you a grewsome tale to check 
your foolish gayety? Know ye not that all tins silly mirth 
doth quicken your hearts and make them run down just so 
much sooner ? ” 

At these words of Master Cold Soul they fell back, and put 
an end to their giggling, but it was only for a moment, and by 
the time we reached the portal of the royal palace, a still 
louder and noisier crowd was close behind us. 

Master Cold Soul suddenl}^ halted, and drawing forth a huge 
pocket-handkerchief, began to weep furiously. It was not with- 
out its effect, and from that moment I could see that the Mik- 
kamenkies were inclined to take a more serious view of my 
arrival in their city, although it was only Cold Soul’s presence 
that kept them from bursting out into fits of violent laughter. 

Above the portals of the queen’s palace there were large 
openings hewn in the rock for the purpose of admitting light 
into the royal apartments ; but these windows, if they may be 
called such, were hung with silken curtains of delicate colors, so 
that the light which entered the throne room was tempered and 
softened. The room itself was likewise hung with silken stuffs, 
which gave it a look of Oriental splendor ; but never in my 
travels among strange peoples of far-away lands had my eyes 
ever rested upon any work of art that equalled the crystal 
throne upon which sat Galaxa, Queen of the Mikkamenkies. 

In the upper world most diligent search had never been able 
to unearth a piece of rock crystal more than about three feet in 
diameter; but here in Queen Galaxa’s throne four glorious 
columns at least fifteen feet in height, and at their base three 
feet in diameter, shot up in matchless splendor. Their low^er 
parts shut in spangles of gold that glittered with ever-varying 
hues as a different light fell upon them. The cross pieces and 


A J/AJiVE7.L0[/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


55 


pieces making up the back and arms had been chosen on account 
of the exquisitely beautiful hair and needle-shaped crystals of 
other metals which they enclosed. A silken baldachin of rare 
beauty covered in the throne, and from its edges dropped 
heavy cords and tassels of rich color and the perfection of 
human handicraft as to fineness and finish. 

At the foot of the throne sat the young princess Crystallina; 
and standing behind her, and engaged in combing her long 
silken tresses, was her favorite waiting-maid, Damozel Glow 
Stone, while around and about, in files and group-wise, stood 
lords and ladies, courtiers and counsellors, by the dozen. 

As Master Cold Soul advanced to salute the queen, a throng 
of the idlers who had followed at our heels crowded into the 
anteroom with loud outbursts of laughter. The Court De- 
pressor was greatly incensed, and turning upon the throng he 
began weeping again with wonderful energy ; but I noticed that 
it was nothing but sound : not a tear fell to obscure the crystal 
clearness of his eyes. Then he began chanting a sort of song 
which was intended to have a depressing influence on the wild 
mirth of the Mikkamenkies. I can only recollect one verse of 
this solemn chant of the Court Depressor. It ran as follows : — 

“ Weep, Mikkamenkies, weep, O weep. 

For the eyeless man in the City of Light, 

For the mouthless man in Plenty’s bowers. 

For the earless man in Music’s realm. 

For the noseless man in the Kingdom of flowers, 

Weep, Mikkamenkies, weep, O weep !” 


But they only laughed the louder, crying out, — 

“ Nay, Master Cold Soul, we will not weep for them ; weep 
for them tliyself.” At last Queen Galaxa raised the slender 
golden wand, tipped with a diamond point, that lay within her 
hand, and instantly a hush came upon the whole place, while 
every eye was riveted upon Bulger and me. 


56 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER IX 

BULGER AND I ARE PRESENTED TO QUEEN GALAXA, THE 
LADY OF THE CRYSTAL THRONE. — HOW SHE RECEIVED 
US. — HER DELIGHT OVER BULGER, WHO GIVES PROOF OF 
HIS WONDERFUL INTELLIGENCE IN IVIANY WAYS. — HOW 
THE QUEEN CREATES HIM LORD BULGER. — ALL ABOUT 
THE THREE WISE MEN IN WHOSE CARE WE ARE PLACED 
BY QUEEN GALAXA. 

Owing to the soft air, the never-varying temperature, and 
the absence of all noise and dust, the Mikkamenkies, although 
they die in the end like other folk, yet do they never seem to 
grow old. Their skin remains soft and free from wrinkles, 
and their eyes as clear and bright as the crystal of Queen 
Galaxa’s throne. 

At the time of our arrival in the Land of the Transparent 
Folk, Queen Galaxa’s heart had almost run down. In about 
two weeks more it would come quietly and gently to a stop ; for, 
as I have already told you, dear friends, the heart of a Mikka- 
menky being perfectly visible when the dazzling white light in 
its full strength was allowed to shine through his body, why, it 
was a very easy matter for a physician to take a look at the 
organ of life, and tell almost to the hour when it would exhaust 
itself — in other words, run down. Galaxa looked every inch a 
real queen as she half-reclined upon her glorious crystal throne. 
She was clad in long, flowing silk garments of a right royal 
purple, and the gems which encircled her neck and wrists would 
have put to shame the crown jewels of any monarch of the 
upper world. Her garb had very much the cut and style of 
the ancient Greek costume, and the gold sandals worn by her 
added to the resemblance ; but the one thing that excited my 


A AfARVELLOCrS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


57 


wonder more than all the others put together was her hair, so 
long, so fine and silken was it, such a mass of it was there, and 
so dazzling white was it — not the blue or yellow white that 
comes of age in our world, but a milk white, a cotton white. 
And as we drew near, to Bulger’s but not to my amazement, 
her hair began to quiver and rustle and rise, until it buried her 
whole throne completely out of sight. Of course I knew that, 
seated as she was upon a throne of glass, it was only necessary 
to send a gentle current of electricity through her to make her 
wonderful head of hair stand up in this manner, like the white 
and filmy tentacles of some gigantic creature of the sea, half- 
plant, half-animal. 

“ Rise, little baron,” said Queen Galaxa, as I dropped upon my 
right knee on the lowest step of the throne, “ and be welcome to 
our kingdom. Whilst thou may be pleased to tarry here, my 
people shall bestir themselves to show thee all that may seem 
wonderful in thine eyes ; for although our wise men have often 
discussed to us of the upper world, yet art thou its first inhabit- 
ant to visit us, and thy wonderful companion is right welcome 
too. Can he talk, little baron?” 

“Not exactly. Queen Galaxa,” said I with low obeisance, 
“ yet he can understand me and I him.” 

“He is quite harmless, is he not?” asked the queen. 

You may try to imagine how I felt, dear friends, when as I 
was about to say, “ Perfectly so, royal lady,” to my amazement 
I saw Bulger advance and sniff at the Princess Crystallina and 
then draw back and show his teeth as she stretched out her 
hand to caress him. 

Bending over him I reproved him in a whisper, and bade him 
kneel before the queen. This he proceeded to do, saluting her 
wdth three very stately bows, at which everybody laughed 
heartily. 

“ I would have him come nearer,” said the queen, “ so that I 
may lay my hand upon him.” 

At a sign from me Bulger began to lick his fore-paws very 


58 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


carefully, and then having wiped them on the rug, sprang up 
the steps of the throne and placed his front feet upon Queen 
Galaxa’s lap. 

The fair ruler of the Mikkamenkies was delighted with this 
sample of Bulger’s fine manners, and in order to amuse her still 
further I proceeded to put Bulger through many of his quaint 
tricks and curious feats, bidding him “ say his prayers,” “ feign 
death,” “weep for his sweetheart,” “ count ten,” “walk upright,” 
“go lame and cry to tell how it hurts.” 

Scarcely had he gone half around the circle, feigning lame- 
ness, when the damozel Glow Stone began to weep herself, and 
stooping down commenced to caress Bulger and to kiss his lame 
foot, caresses which, to my more than surprise, Bulger was not 
slow in returning, and later too when I bade him choose the 
maiden he loved best and kiss her hand, he bounded straight 
toward Glow Stone and bestowed not one but twenty kisses 
upon her outstretched hands, while the princess Crystallina 
shrank away in fear and disgust from the “ ugly beast,” as she 
termed him. 

“ Bid him bring my handkerchief to me, little baron,” cried 
Galaxa, throwing it on the floor. I did as the queen commanded, 
but Bulger refused to obey. 

“ Thou seest, Queen Galaxa,” said I with a low bow, “ he 
refuses to lift the handkerchief without a command from thy 
royal self,” which delicate compliment pleased the lady mightily. 

“How comes it, little baron,” she asked, “that thou shouldst 
be of noble lineage and thy brother, as thou callest him, plain 
Bulger?” 

“ It comes, royal lady,” said I right humbly, “ as it often comes 
in the world which I inhabit, that honors go to them that least 
deserve them.” 

“Well, then, little baron,” cried Galaxa gayly, “though I be 
but a petty sovereign compared with thine, yet may small rulers 
do acts of great justice. Bid thy four-footed brother kneel before 
us.” 


> 

f 






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61 


At a word from me, Bulger prostrated himself on the steps 
of Galaxa’s crystal throne, and laid his head at her very feet. 

Leaning forward she touched him lightly with her golden 
wand, and exclaimed, “ Rise, Lord Bulger, rise ! Queen Galaxa 
seated on her crystal throne bids Lord Bulger rise ! ” 

In an instant Bulger raised himself on his hind feet and laid 
his head in the queen’s lap, while the whole room rang with 
loud huzzas, and every lady gently clapped her frail and glass- 
like hands, save the princess Crystallina who feigned to be 
asleep. 

Queen Galaxa now undid a string of pearls from her neck and 
tied them with her own hands around Lord Bulger’s — and so 
it was that my four-footed brother ceased to be plain Bulger. 
Then turning to her counsellors of state. Queen Galaxa bade 
them assign a royal apartment to Lord Bulger and me, and gave 
strict orders that the severest punishment be at once visited 
upon any Mikkamenky who should dare to laugh at us or to 
make disrespectful remarks concerning our dark eyes and skins 
and weather-beaten appearance, for, as the royal lady said to her 
people, “Ye might look worse than they were ye compelled to 
live on the outside instead of the inside of the world, exposed 
to biting blasts, piercing cold, and clouds of suffocating dust.” 

By the queen’s orders three of the wisest of the Mikkamen- 
kies were selected to attend Bulger and me, look after our wants, 
explain everything to us — in a word, do all in their power to 
make our stay in Goggle Land as pleasant as possible. 

Their names, as nearly as I can translate them, were Doctor 
Nebulosus, Sir Amber O’Pake, and Lord Cornucore. I should 
explain to you, dear friends, the meaning of these names, for 
you might be inclined to think that Doctor Somewhat Cloudy, 
Sir Clear-as-Amber ; and Lord Heart-of-Horn might indicate that 
they were more or less muddled in their intellects. Far from it : 
I have already stated to you they were three of the very wisest 
men in the Land of the Transparent Folk, and the lack of clear- 
ness indicated by their names had reference solely to their eyes. 


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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Now, as you know, the learned men of our upper world have 
a different look from ordinary folk. They are stoop-shouldered, 
shaggy-eyebrowed, long-haired, pursed-lipped, near-sighted, 
shambling-gaited. Well, the only effect that long years of 
deep study had upon the Mikkamenkies was to rob their beauti- 
ful crystal-like eyes of more or less of their clearness. 

Now I think you’ll understand why these three learned Mik- 
kamenkies were named as they were. 

At any rate, they were, in spite of their strange names, three 
most charming gentlemen ; and no matter how many times I 
might ask the same question over again, they were always ready 
with an answer quite as polite as the one first given me. They 
did everything that I had a right possibly to expect them to do. 
Indeed, there was but one single thing which I would have fain 
had them do, and that was to let me look through them. 

This they most carefully avoided doing ; and no matter how 
warmed up they might become in their descriptions, and no 
matter how on the alert I was to catch the coveted peep, the 
inevitable black fan was always in the way. 

Naturally, not only they, but all the Transparent Folk, felt a 
repugnance to have a perfect stranger look through them, and I 
couldn’t blame them for it either. I despaired of ever getting 
a chance of seeing a human heart beating away for dear life, for 
all the world just like the swing of a pendulum or the vibration 
of a balance wheel. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


63 


CHAPTER X 

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF INIY CONVERSATIONS WITH DOCTOR 
NEBULOSUS, SIR AMBER O’PAKE, AND LORD CORNUCORE, 
WHO TELL ME ]SIANY THINGS THAT I NEVER KNEW BEFORE, 
FOR WHICH I WAS VERY GRATEFUL. 

Lord Bulger and I were more than pleased with our new 
friends, Doctor Nebulosus, Sir Amber O’Pake, and Lord Cornu- 
core, although so eager were they to make us thoroughly 
comfortable, that they overdid the matter at times, and left me 
scarcely a moment to myself in which to make an entry in my 
notebook. They were extremely solicitous lest in my ignorance 
I should set down something wrong about them. 

“ For,” said Sir Amber O’Pake, “now that thou hast found 
the way to this under world of ours, little baron, I feel assured 
that we shall have a number of visitors from thy people every 
year or so, and I have already issued orders to have extra beds 
made as soon as the wood can be quarried.” 

Doctor Nebulosus gave me a very interesting account of the 
various ailments which the Mikkamenkies suffer from. “ All 
sickness among our people, little baron,” said he, “ is purely 
mental or emotional ; that is, of the mind or feelings. There is 
no such thing as bodily infirmity among us. Wine and strong 
drink are unknown in our world, and the food we eat is light 
and easily digested. We are never exposed to the danger of 
breathing a dust-laden atmosphere, and while we are an active 
and industrious people, yet we sleep a great deal ; for, as our 
laws forbid the use of lamps or torches, except for the use of 
those toiling in the dark chambers, it is not possible for us to 
ruin our health by turning night into day. We go to bed the 


64 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

very moment the River of Light ceases to flow. The only 
ailment that ever gives me the least trouble is iburyufrosniaN 

“ Pray, what is the nature of that ailment ? ” I asked. 

“ It is an inclination to be too happy,” replied Doctor Neb- 
ulosus gravely, “ and I regret to say that several of our people 
attacked with this ailment have shortened their lives by refus- 
ing to take my remedies. It usually develops very slowly, 
beginning with an inclination to giggle, which, after a while, is 
succeeded by violent fits of laughter. 

“For instance, little baron, when thou earnest among us, 
many of our people were attacked with a violent form of 
iburyufrosnia ; and although Master Cold Soul, the Court De- 
pressor, made great efforts to check it, yet he was quite power- 
less to do so. It spread over the city with remarkable rapidity. 
Without knowing why, our workmen at their work, our children 
at their play, our people in doors and out, began to laugh and to 
be dangerously happj’’. I made examinations of several of the 
worst cases, and discovered that at the rate they were beating 
the hearts of most of them would run down in a single week. 
It was terrible. A council Avas hastily held, and it was deter- 
mined to conceal thee and Lord Bulger from the public view, 
but happily my skill got the upper hand of the attack.” 

“ Didst increase the number of pills to be taken ? ” I asked. 

“ No, little baron,” said Doctor Nebulosus ; “ I increased their 
size and covered them with a dry powder, which made them 
extremely difficult to swallow, and in this way compelled those 
taking them to cease their laughing. But there were a number 
of cases so violent that they could not be cured in this way. 
These I ordered to be strapped in at the waist with broad belts, 
and to have their mouths held pried open with wooden wedges. 
As thou mayst understand, this made laughing so difficult that 
they speedily gave it up altogether. 

“ Ah, little baron,” continued the wise doctor Avith a sigh, 
“ that Avas a sorry day for the human race Avhen it learned hoAV 
to laugh. It is my opinion that we owe this useless agitation 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


65 


of our bodies to you people of the upper world. Exposed as ye 
were to piercing winds and biting frosts, ye contracted the habit 
of shivering to keep warm, and, little by little, this shivering 
habit so grew upon you, that ye kept up the shivering whether 
ye were cold or not ; only ye called it by another name. Now, 
my knowledge of the human body teaches me that this quivering 
of the flesh is a very wise provision of nature to keep the blood 
in motion, and in this way to save the human body from perish- 
ing from the cold ; but why should we quiver when we are 
happy, little baron ? All pleasure is the thought, and yet at the 
very moment when we should keep our bodies in as perfect 
repose as possible, we begin this ridiculous shivering. Do we 
shiver when Ave look upon the beauties of the River of Light, or 
listen to sweet music, or gaze upon the loving countenance of 
our gracious Queen Galaxa ? But worse than all, little baron, 
this senseless quivering and shivering which we call laughter, 
unlike good, deep, long-drawn, wholesome sighs, empty the lungs 
of air without filling them again, and thus do we often see 
these gigglers and laughers fall over in fainting fits, absolutely 
clioked by their own wild and unreasoning action. I have 
always contended, little baron, that we alone of all animals had 
the laughing habit, and I am now delighted to have my opinion 
confirmed by my acquaintance with the wise and dignified Lord 
Bulger. Observe him. He knows quite as well as we what it 
is to be pleased, to be amused, to be delighted, but he doesn’t 
think it necessary to have recourse to fits of shivering and shud- 
dering. Through the brightened eye — true window of the 
soul — I can see how happy he is. I can measure his joy ; I 
can take note of his contentment.” 

I was delighted with this learned discourse of the gentle 
Doctor Nebulosus, and made notes of it lest the points of his 
argument might escape my memory, the more pleased was I in 
that he proved my faithful Bulger to be so wisely constructed 
and regulated by nature. 

I made particular inquiry of my friends. Sir Amber O’Pake 


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and Lord Cornucore, as to whether Queen Galaxa ever had any 
trouble in governing her people. 

“ None whatever,” was the answer. “ In many a long year 
has it only been necessary on one or two occasions to summon 
a Mikkamenky before the magistrate and examine his heart 
under a strong light. The only punishment allowed by our 
laws is confinement for a shorter or longer time in one of the 
dark chambers. The severest sentence ever known to have 
been passed by one of our magistrates was twelve hours in 
length. But in all honesty, we must admit, little baron, that 
falsehood and deception are unknown amongst us for the simple 
reason that, being transparent, it is impossible for a Mikkamenky 
to deceive a brother without being caught in the act. There- 
fore why make the attempt? The very moment one of us 
begins to say one thing while he is thinking another, his eyes 
cloud up and betray him, just us the crystal-clear weather glass 
clouds up at the approach of a storm in the upper world. But 
this, of course, little baron, is only true of our thoughts. Our 
laws allow us to hide our feelings by the use of the black 
fan. No one may look upon another’s heart unless its owner 
wills it. It is a very grave offence for one Mikkamenky to look 
through another without that one’s permission. But as thou 
wilt readily understand, inasmuch as we are by nature trans- 
parent, it is utterly impossible for a marriage to prove an 
unhappy one, for the reason that when a youth declares his 
love for a maiden, they both have the right by law to look 
upon each other’s hearts, and in this way they can tell exactly 
the strength of the love they have for each other.” This and 
many other strange and interesting things did my new friends. 
Doctor Nebulosus, Sir Amber O’Pake, and Lord Cornucore 
impart unto me, and right grateful was I to good Queen Galaxa 
for having chosen them for me. Good friends are better than 
gold, although we may not think it at the time. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUiyD JOURNEY 


67 


CHAPTER XI 

PLEASANT DAYS PASSED AMONG THE MIKKAMENKIES, AND 
WONDERFUL THINGS SEEN BY US. — THE SPECTRAL GARDEN, 
AND A DESCRIPTION OF IT. — OUR MEETING WITH DAMOZEL 
GLOW STONE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 

From now on Lord Bulger and I made ourselves perfectly at 
home among the Mikkamenkies. One of the royal barges was 
placed at our disposal, and when we grew tired of walking about 
and gazing at the wonders of this beautiful city of the under 
world, we stepped aboard our barge and were rowed hither and 
thither on the glassy river ; and if I had not seen it myself I 
never would have believed that any kind of shellfish could 
ever be taught to be so obliging as to swim to the surface and 
offer one of their huge claws for our dinner, politely dropping 
it in our hand the moment we had laid hold of it. On one of 
the river banks I noticed a long row of wooden compartments 
looking very much like a grocer’s bins ; but you may think how 
amused Bulger and I were upon coming closer to this long row 
of little houses to find that they were turtle nests, and that quite 
a number of the turtles were sitting comfortably in their nests 
busy laying their eggs — which, let me assure you, were the most 
dainty tidbits I ever tasted. 

I think I informed you that the river flowing through Gog- 
gle Land was fairly swarming with delicious fish, the carp and sole 
being particularly delicate in flavor ; and knowing, as I did, what 
a tender-hearted folk the Mikkamenkies are, I had been not a 
little puzzled in my mind as to how they had ever been able to 
summon up courage enough to drive a spear into one of these 
fish, which were as tame and playful as a lot of kittens or pup- 


68 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


pies, and followed our barge hither and thither, snapping up the 
food we tossed to them, and leaping into the air, where they 
glistened like burnished silver as the white light sparkled on 
their scales. 

But the mystery was solved one day when I saw one of the 
fishermen decoying a score or more of fish into a sort of pen 
shut off from the river by a wire netting. Scarcely had he 
closed the gates when, to my amazement, I saw the fish one after 
the other come to the surface and float about on their sides, 
stone dead. 

“ This, little baron,” explained the man in charge, “ is the 
death chamber. Hidden at the bottom of this dark pool lie 
several electric eels of great size and power, and when our peo- 
ple want a fresh supper of fish we simply open these gates and 
decoy a shoal of them inside by tossing their favorite food into 
the water. The executionei'S are awaiting them, and in a few 
instants the fish, while enjoying their repast and suspecting no 
harm, are painlessly put to death, as thou hast seen.” 

One part of the city of the Transparent Folk which attracted 
Bulger and me very much was the royal gardens. It was a 
weird and uncanny place, and upon my first visit I walked 
through its paths and beneath its arbors upon my toes and with 
bated breath, as you might steal into some bit of fairy-land, look- 
ing anxiously from side to side as if at every step you expected 
some sprite or goblin to trip you up with a tough spider-web, or 
brush your cheeks with their cold and satiny wings. 

Now, dear friends, you must first be told that with the loss of 
sunshine and the open air, the flowers and shrubs and vines of 
this underground world gradually parted with their perfumes 
and colors, their leaves and petals and stems and tendrils grow- 
ing paler and paler in hue, like lovelorn maids whose sweet- 
hearts had never come back from the war. Month by month 
the dark greens, the blush pinks, the golden yellows, and the 
deep blues pined away, longing for the lost sunshine and the 
wooing breeze they loved so dearly, until at last the transforma- 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


69 


tion was complete, and there they all stood or hung bleached to 
utter whiteness, like those fantastic clumps of flowem and 
wreaths of vines which the feathery snow of April builds in the 
leafless shrubs and trees. 

I cannot tell you, dear friends, what a strange feeling came 
over me as I stepped within this spectral garden where ghost- 
like vines clung in fantastic forms and figures to the dark trel- 
lises, and where tall lilies, whiter than the down of eider, stood 
bolt upright like spirits doomed to eternal silence, denied even 
the speech of perfume, and where huge clusters of snowy chrys- 
anthemums, fluffy feathery forms, seemed pressing their soft 
bodies together like groups of banished celestials in a sort of 
silent despair as they felt the warmth and glow of sunlight 
slowly and gradually quitting their souls ; where lower down, 
great roses with snowy petals whiter than the sea-shells hung 
motionless, bursting open with eager effort, as if listening for 
some signal that would dissolve the spell put upon them, and 
give them back the sunshine, and with it their color and their 
perfume ; where lower still beds of violets bleached white as 
fleecy clouds seemed wrapt in silent sorrow at loss of the heav- 
enly perfume wliich had been theirs on earth ; where, above tlie 
lilies’ heads shot long, slender, spectral stalks of sunflowers almost 
invisible, loaded at their ends with clusters of snowy flowers 
thus suspended like white faces looking down through the silent 
air, and waiting, waiting for the sunshine that never came ; and 
higher still all over and above these spectral flowers, intwining 
and inwrapping and falling festoon and garland-wise, crept and 
ran like unto long lines of escaping phantoms, ghostly vines 
with ghostly blossoms, bent and twisted and Avrapped and coiled 
into a thousand strange and fantastic forms and figures which 
the white light with its inky shadows made alive and half human, 
so that movement and voice alone were needful to make this 
garden seem peopled with sorrowing sprites banished to these 
subterranean chambers for strange misdeeds done on earth and 
condemned to wait ten thousand years ere sunlight and their 
color and their perfume should be given back to them again. 


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While strolling through the royal gardens one day, Bulger 
suddenly gave a low cry and bounded on ahead, as if his eyes 
had fallen upon the familiar form of some dear friend. 

When I came up with him he was crouching beside the damozel 
Glow Stone who, seated on one of the garden benches, was 
caressing Bulger’s head and ears with one of her soft hands 
with its filmy-like skin, while the other held its black fan pressed 
tightly against her bosom. 

She looked up at me with her crystal eyes, and smiled faintly 
as I drew near. 

“ Thou seest, little baron,” she murmured, “ Lord Bulger and 
I have not forgotten each other.” Since our presentation at 
court I had been going through and through my mind in search 
of some reason for Bulger's sudden -affection for damozel Glow 
Stone, but had found none. 

I was the more perplexed as she was but the maid of honor, 
while the fair princess Crystallina sat on the very steps of the 
throne. 

But I said nothing save to reply that I was greatly pleased to 
see it and to add that where Bulger’s love went, mine was sure 
to follow. 

“ Oh, little baron, if I could but believe that ! ” sighed the 
fair damozel. 

“ Thou mayst,” said I, “ indeed thou mayst.” 

“ Then, if I may, little baron,” she replied, “ I will, and prithee 
come and sit beside me here, only till I bid thee, look not through 
me. Dost promise ? ” 

“ I do, fair damozel,” was my answer. 

“ And thou. Lord Bulger, lie there at my feet,” she continued, 
“ and keep thy wise eyes fixed upon me and thy keen ears wide 
open.” 

“ Little baron, if both thine and our worlds were filled with 
sorrowing hearts, mine would be the heaviest of them all. 
List ! oh, list to the sad, sad tale of the sorrowing maid with the 
speck in her heart, and, when thou knowest all, give me of thy 
wisdom.” 



CRYSTALLINA*3 HEART ON A SCREEN. 




A MAFcVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


73 


CHAPTER XII 

THE SAD, SAD TALE OF THE SOREOWING PRINCESS WITH A 
SPECK IN HER HEART, AND WHAT ALL HAPPENED WHEN 
SHE HAD ENDED IT, WHICH THE READER MUST READ FOR 
HIMSELF IF HE AVOULD KNOAAL 

“Little baron and dear Lord Bulger,” began the crystal- 
eyed damozel, after she had eased her soul of its load of Avoe 
by tiiree long and deep, deep sighs, “ know then that I am not 
the damozel Glow Stone, but none other than the royal piincess 
Crystallina herself ; that she Avhose hair I comb should comb 
mine ; that she whom I have served for ten long years should 
have served me I ” 

“ And to think, O princess,” I burst out joyfully, “ that my 
beloved Bulger should have been the first to discover that she 
who was seated on the steps of the crystal throne was not 
entitled to the seat ; to think that his subtle intellect should 
liave been the first to scent out the Avrong that had been done 
thee ; his keen eye the first to go to the bottom of truth’s well ; 
but, fair princess, I am bursting Avith impatience to knoAv hoAV 
thou thyself didst ever discover the Avrong that has been done 
thee.” 

“ That thou slialt speedily knoAV, little baron,” ansAvered 
Crystallina, “and that thou mayst know all that 1 knoAV Til 
begin at tlie very beginning : The day I Avas born there was 
great rejoicing in tlie land of the Mikkamenkies, and the people 
gathered in front of the royal palace and laughed and cried by 
turns, so happy Avere they to think tliey Avere to be governed by 
another princess after Queen Galaxa’s lieart should run doAvn ; 
for, many years ago, a bad king had made them very unhappy. 


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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


and they had hoped and prayed that no more such would come 
to reign over them. And pretty soon one of them began to tell 
the others what he thought the little princess would be like. 

‘She will be the fairest that ever sat upon the crystal throne. 
Her hands and feet will be like pearls tipped with coral ; her 
hair whiter than the river’s foam; and from her beautiful eyes 
will burst the radiance of her pure soul, and her heart, Oh, her 
heart will be like a little lump of frozen water so clear and so 
transparent will it be, so like a bit of purest crystal, bright and 
flawless as a diamond of the first water, and therefore let her be 
called the princess Crystallina, or the Maid with the Crystal 
Heart.’ 

“ Forthwith the cry went up : ‘ Ay, let her be called Crystal- 
lina, or the Maid with the Crystal Heart,’ and Queen Galaxa 
heard the cry of her people and sent them word that it should 
be as they wished — that I should be the Princess Crystallina. 

“ But. ah me, that I should have lived to tell it ! after a few 
days the nurse came to my royal mother wringing her hands and 
pouring down a flood of tears. 

Throwing herself on her knees, she whispered to the queen, 
‘ Royal mistress, bid me die rather than tell thee what I 
know.’ 

“ Being ordered to speak, the nurse informed Queen Galaxa 
that she had that day for the first time held me up to the light 
and had discovered that there was a speck in inj^ heart. 

“ The queen uttered a cry of horror and swooned. When 
she came to herself she directed that I should be brought to her 
and held up to the light so that she might see for herself. Alas, 
too true ! there was the speck in my heart sure enough. I was 
not worthy of the sweet name which her loving people had 
bestowed upon me. They would turn from me with horror ; 
they would never consent to have me for their queen when the 
truth should become known. They would not be moved by a 
mother’s prayers : they would turn a deaf ear to every one who 
should be bold enough to advise them to accept a princess with 


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75 


a speck in her heart, when they had thouglit they were 
getting one well deserving of the title they had bestowed upon 
her. 

“ Queen Galaxa knew that something must be done at once ; 
that it would be time and labor lost to attempt to reason with 
the disappointed people, so she set to work thinking up some 
way out of her trouble. Now, it so happened, little baron, that 
the very day I had come into the world a babe had been born 
to one of Queen Galaxa’s serving women ; and so hastily sum- 
moning the woman she ordered her to bring her babe into the 
royal bed-chamber and leave it there, promising that it should 
be brought up as my foster-sister. But no sooner had the serv- 
ing woman gone her way rejoicing than the nurse was ordered 
to change the children in the cradle, and in a few moments 
Glow Stone was wrapt in my richly embroidered blanket and I 
swathed up in her plain coverlets. 

“ How things went for several years I know not, but one day, 
ah, how well I recollect it ! my little mind was puzzled by hear- 
ing Crystallina cry out: ‘Nay, nay, dear mamma, ’tis not fair; I 
like it not. Each day when thou comest to us thou givest 
Glow Stone ten'kisses and me but a single one.’ Then would 
Queen Galaxa smile a sad smile and bestow some bauble upon 
Crystallina to coax her back to contentment again. 

“ And so we went on, Crystallina and I, from one year to 
another until we were little maids well grown, and she sat on 
the throne and wore royal purple stitched with gold, and I plain 
white; but still most of the kisses fell to my share. And I 
marvelled not a little at it, but dared not ask why it was. How- 
ever, once when I was alone with Queen Galaxa, seated on my 
cushion in the corner plying my needle and thinking of the sail 
we were to have on the river that day, suddenly I was startled 
to see the queen throw herself on her knees in front of me, and 
to feel her clasp me in her arms and cover 1113' face and head 
with tears and kisses, as she sobbed and moaned, — 

“ ‘ O m3' babe, my lost babe, my blessing and my jo3’, wilt 


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never, never, never come back to me? Art gone forever? 
Must I give thee up, oh, must I?’ 

“ ‘ Nay, Royal Lady,’ I stammered in my more than wonder 
at her words and actions. ‘ Thou art in a dream. Awake, and 
see clearly ; I am not Crystallina. I am Glow Stone, thy foster- 
child. I’ll hie me straight and bring my royal sister to 
thee.’ 

“ But she would not let me loose, and for all answer showered 
more kisses on me till I was well-nigh smothered, so tight she 
held me pressed against her bosom, while around and over me 
her long thick tresses fell like a woven mantle. 

“And then she told me all — all that I have told thee, little 
baron, and charged me never to impart it unto any soul in 
Goggle Land ; and I made a solemn promise unto her that I 
never would.” 

“ And thou hast kept thy word like a true princess as thou 
art,” said I cheerily, “for I am not of thy world, fair Crystal- 
lina.” 

“ Now that I have told thee the sad tale of the sorrowing 
princess with the speck in her heart, little baron,” murmured 
Crystallina, fixing her large and radiant eyes upon me, “ there 
is but one thing more for me to do, and it is to let thee look 
through me, so that thou mayst know exactly what counsel to 
give.” And so saying the fair princess rose from her seat, and 
having placed herself in front of me with a flood of white light 
falling full upon her back, she lowered her black fan and bade 
me gaze upon the heavy heart which she had carried about with 
her all these years, and tell her exactly how large the speck 
was and -where it lay, and what color it was. 

I was overjoyed to get an opportunity at last to look through 
one of the Mikkamenkies, and my own heart bounded with satis- 
faction as I looked and looked upon that mysterious little thing, 
nay, rather a tiny being, living, breathing, palpitating within 
her breast ; now slow and measured as she dwelt in thought 
upon her sad fate, now beating faster and faster as the hope 


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77 


bubbled up in her mind that possibly I might be able to counsel 
her so wisely that an end would come to all her sorrow. 

“ Well, wise little baron,” she murmured anxiously, “ what 
seest thou? Is it very large ? In what part is it? Is it black 
as night or some color less fatal ? ” 

“ Take courage, fair princess,” said I, ‘‘ it is very small and 
lies just beneath the bow on the left side. Nor is it black, but 
reddish rather, as if a single drop of blood from the veins of thy 
far distant ancestors had outlived them these thousands of years 
and hardened there to tell whence thy people came.” The 
princess wept tears of joy upon hearing these comforting words. 

“ If it had been black,” she whispered “ I would have lain me 
down in this bed of violets and never risen more till my people 
had come to bear me to my grave in the silent burial chamber — 
unvisited by the River of Light.” 

At this sad outbreak Bulger whined piteously and licked the 
princess’s hands as he looked up at her with his dark eyes radi- 
ant with sympathy. 

She was greatly cheered by this message of comfort, and it 
moved me, too, by its heartiness. 

“ List, fair princess,” said I gravely. “ I OAvn the task is not 
a liglit one, but hope for the best. I would that we had more 
time, but as thou knowest Queen Galaxa’s heart will soon run 
down, therefore must we act with despatch as well as wisdom. 
But first of all must I speak with the queen and gain her con- 
sent to act for thee in this matter.” 

“ That, I fear me, she will never grant,” moaned Crystallina. 
“ However, thou art so much wiser than I — do as best seems to 
thee.” 

The next thing to be done, fair princess,” I added solemnly, 
“is to show thy heart boldly aind fearlessly to thy people.” 

“Nay, little baron,” she exclaimed, rising to her feet, “that 
may not be, that may not be, for know that our law doth make it 
treason itself for one of our people to look through a person of 
royal blood. Oh, no, oh, no, little baron, that may never be! ” 


A MAIlVELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


“ Stay, sweet princess,” I urged in gentlest tones, “ not so 
fast. Thou dost not know what I mean by showing thy heart 
boldly to thy people. Never fear. I will not break the law of 
the land, and yet they shall look upon the speck within thy 
heart, and see how small it is and hear what I have to say about 
it, and thou shalt not even be visible to them.” 

“ O little baron,” murmured Crystallina, “ if this may only 
be ! I feel they will forgive me. Thou art so wise and thy 
words carry such strong hope to my poor, heavy heart that I 
almost ” — 

“Nay, fair princess,” I interrupted, “hope for the best, no 
more. I am not wise enough to read the future, and from what 
1 know of thy people they seem but little different from mine 
own. Perchance I may be able to sway them toward my views, 
and make them cry, ‘ Long live princess Crystallina ! ’ but I 
can only promise thee to do my best. Betake thee now to the 
palace, and scorn not for yet a day or so to take up the golden 
comb and play the damozel Glow Stone in all humility.” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


79 


CHAPTER XIII 

HOW I SET TO WORK TO UNDO A WRONG THAT HAD BEEN DONE 
IN THE KINGDOM OF THE MIKKAMENKIES, AND HOW BULGER 
HELPED. — QUEEN GALAXA’s CONFESSION. — I AM CREATED 
PRIME MINISTER AS LONG AS SHE LIVES. — WHAT TOOK 
PLACE IN THE THRONE ROOM. — MY SPEECH TO THE MEN OF 
GOGGLE LAND AFTER WHICH I SHOW THEM SOMETHING WORTH 
SEEING. — HOW I WAS PULLED IN TWO DIFFERENT DIREC- 
TIONS AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 

The first thing I did after the genuine princess Crystallina 
had left me was to seek out Doctor Nebulosus and learn from 
him the exact number of hours before the queen’s heart would 
run down. 

As he had just been making an examination, he was able to tell 
the very minute : it was seventeen hours and thirteen minutes, 
rather a short time you must confess, dear friends, in which to 
accomplish such an important piece of business as I had in mind. 
I then made my way directly to the royal palace and demanded 
a private audience with the Lady of the Crystal Throne. 

With the advice of Sir Amber O’Pake and Lord Cornucore 
she firmly but graciously refused to receive me, giving as an 
excuse that the excitement that would be sure to follow an 
interview with the “Man of Coal ” — so the Mikkamenkies had 
named me — would shorten her life at least thirteen minutes. 
But I was not to be put off in so unceremonious a manner. 
Sitting down, I seized a pen and wrote the following words 
upon a j)iece of glazed silk : — 

“ To Galaxa, Queen of the Mikkamenhies^ Lady of the Cr'ystal 
Throne. 

“I, Lord Bulger, a Mikkamenkian Noble, Bearer of this, who 
was the first to discover that the real princess was not sitting on 


80 ■ A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


the steps of the Crystal Throne, demand an audience for my 
Master Baron Sebastian von Troomp, commonly known as 
‘ Little Baron Trump,’ and prompted by him I ask, What are 
thirteen minutes of thy life, O Queen Galaxa, to the long 
years of sorrow and disappointment in store for thy royal 
child? ” 

Taking this letter in his mouth, Bulger sprang away with long 
and rapid bounds. In a few minutes he was in the presence of 
the queen, for the guards had fallen back affrighted as they saw 
him draw near with his dark eyes flashing indignation. Raising 
himself upon his hind feet, he laid the letter in Galaxa’s hands. 
The moment she had read it she fell into a swoon, and all was 
stir and commotion in and round about the palace. I was has- 
tily summoned and the audience chamber cleared of every 
attendant save Doctor Nebulosus, Sir Amber O'Pake, Lord 
Cornucore, Lord Bulger, and me. 

“ Send for the damozel Glow Stone,” commanded the queen, 
and when she had apj^eared, to the amazement of all saving 
Bulger and me, Galaxa bade her mount the steps of the Crystal 
Throne, then, having embraced her most tenderly, the queen 
spoke these words : — 

“ O faithful Councillors and wise friends from the upper world, 
this is the real princess Crystallina, whom I have for all these 
years wickedly and wrongfully kept from her high state and 
royal privileges. She was born with a speck in her heart, and I 
feared that it would be useless to ask my people to accept her 
as my successor.” 

“ Ay, Lady of the Crystal Throne,” exclaimed Lord Cornucore, 
“thou hast wisely done. Thy people would never have received 
her as Princess Crystallina, for, being by the laws of our land 
denied the privilege to look for themselves, they never would 
have believed that this spot in the princess’s heart was but a tiny 
S[)eck like a single hair crystal in the arm of thy magnificent 
throne. Therefore, O queen, we counsel thee not to imbitter 
thy last hour's by differences with thy loving subjects.” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


81 


“ M j Lord Cornucore,” said I with a low bow, “ I make bold to 
raise my voice against tbine, and I crave permission from Queen 
Galaxa to parley with her people.” 

“Forbid it, royal lady! ” cried Sir Amber O’Pake savagely, 
at which Bulger gave a low growl and showed his teeth. 

“ Queen Galaxa,” I added gravely, “ a wrong confessed is half 
redressed. This fair princess, 'tis true, hath a speck in her lieart 
which ill accords with the name bestowed upon her by thy people. 
Bid me be master until thy heart runs down, and by the Knight- 
hood of all the Trumps I promise thee that thou shalt have three 
hours of happiness ere tliy royal heart has ceased to beat ! ” 

“ Be it so, little baron,” exclaimed Galaxa joyfully. “ I pro- 
claim thee prime minister for the rest of my life.” At these 
words Bulger broke out into a series of glad barks, and, raising 
upon his hind legs, licked the queen’s hand in token of his grati- 
tude, while the fair princess looked a love at me that was too 
deep to put into words. 

“ I had now but a few hours to act. The excitement, so Doc- 
tor Nebulosus assured me, would shorten the queen’s life a full 
hour.” 

It had always been my custom to carry about with me a small 
but excellent magnifying-glass, a double convex lens, for the 
purpose of making examinations of minute objects, and also for 
reading inscriptions too tine to be seen with the naked eye. 
Hastily summoning a skilful metal worker, I instructed him to 
set the lens in a short tube and to enclose that tube within 
another, so that I could lengthen it at my pleasure. Then hav- 
ing called together as many of the head men of the nation as 
the throne room would hold, I requested Lord Cornucore to in- 
form them of the confession winch Queen Galaxa had made ; 
namely, that in reality damozel Glow Stone was princess Crys- 
tallina and princess Crystallina was damozel Glow Stone. 

They were stricken speechless by this piece of information, 
but when Lord Cornucore went on to tell tlie whole story and 
to explain to them why the queen had practised this deception 


82 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


upon them, they broke out into the wildest lamentation, rejoeat- 
ing over and over again in piteous tones, — 

“ A speck in her heart ! A speck in her heart ! O dire mis- 
fortune ! O woful day ! She never can he our princess if she 
hath a speck in her heart I ” By this time my arrangements 
were complete. I had placed the princess Crystallina just out- 
side the door of the throne room where she stood concealed be- 
hind the thick hangings, and near her I had stationed Doctor 
Nebulosus with a large circular mirror of burnished silver in his 
hand. Calling out in a loud voice for silence, I thus addressed 
the weeping subjects of Queen Galaxa : — 

“O Mikkamenkies, Men of Goggle Land, Transparent Folk, 
I count myself most happy to be among you at this hour and to 
be permitted, by your gracious queen, to raise my voice in de- 
fence of the unfortunate princess with the speck in her heart. 
Being of noble birth and an inhabitant of another world, it was 
lawful for me to look through the sorrowing princess, and I have 
done it. Yes, Mikkamenkies, I have gazed upon her heart ; I 
have seen the speck within it I Give ear. Men of Goggle Land, 
and you shall know how that speck came there ; for it is not, as 
you doubtless think, a coal-black spot within that fair enclosure, 
clearer than the columns of Galaxa’s throne. Oh, no, Mikkamen- 
kies, a thousand times no : it is a tiny blemish of reddish hue, a 
drop of princely blood from the upper world, which I inhabit, 
and this drop in all these countless centuries has coursed through 
the veins of a thousand kings, and still kept its roseate glow, 
still remembered the glorious sunshine which called it into being; 
and now. Men of Goggle Land, lest you think that for some 
dark purpose of mine own I speak other than the pure and sober 
truth, behold, I show you the fair Crystallina’s heart, in its very 
life and being as it is, beating and throbbing with hope and fear 
comingled. Look and judge for yourselves ! And with this I 
signalled to those on the outside of the palace to carry out mj^ 
instructions. 

In an instant the thick curtains were drawn and the throne 






A MAIiVELLO(/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


85 


room was ^^'rapped in darkness, and at the same moment Doctor 
Nebulosus, with his mirror, caught the strong, white rays of light 
and threw them upon Ciystallina’s body, while I through an 
opening in the hangings made haste to apply the tube to which 
the lens had been fitted, and, catching the reflected image of her 
heart, threw it up in plain and startling view upon the opposite 
wall of the throne room. Upon seeing how small the speck was 
and how truthfully I had described it, the Mikkamenkies fell 
a-weeping for purest joy, and then, as if with one voice, they 
burst out, — 

“ Long live the fair princess Crystallina with the ruby speck 
in her heart ! and ten thousand blessings on the head of little 
Baron Trump and Lord Bulger for saving our land from cruel 
dissensions I ” The people on the outside took up the cry, and 
in a few moments the whole city was thronged with bands of 
Queen Galaxa’s subjects, singing and dancing and telling of their 
love for the fair princess with the ruby speck in her heart. I 
had kept my word — Queen Galaxa would have at least three 
hours of complete happiness ere her heart ran down. 

But suddenly the River of Liglit began to flicker and dim its 
flood of brilliant white rays. 

Night was coming. Noiselessly, as if by magic, the Mikka- 
menkies faded from my sight, stealing away in search of beds, 
and as the gloom crept into the great throne room, some one 
plucked me gently by the liand and a soft voice whispered, — 

“ I love ! I love thee ! Oh, who other than I can tell how I 
love thee ! ” and then a grip stronger than that gentle hand 
seized me by the skirt of my coat and dragged me away slowly, 
but surely, away, through the darkness, through the gloom, out 
into the silent streets, ever away until at last that soft voice, 
choking with a sob, ceased its pleading and gasped, “ Fare- 
well, oh, farewell ! I dare go no farther I ” And so Bulger, in 
his wisdom, led me on and ever on out of the City of the Mik- 
kamenkies, out upon the Marble Highway ! 


86 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XIV 

BULGER AND I TURN OUR BACKS ON THE FAIR DOMAIN OF 

QUEEN CRYSTALLINA. — NATURE’S WONDERFUL SPEAKING- 

TUBE. — crystallina’s attempt to turn us back. — 

HOW I KEPT BULGER FROM YIELDING. — SOME INCIDENTS 

OF OUR JOURNEY ALONG THE MARBLE HIGHWAY, AND HOW 

WE CAME TO THE GLORIOUS GATEWAY OF SOLID SILVER. 

Me, the sorrowing Sebastian, loaded with as heavy a lieart 
as ever a mortal of my size had borne away with him, did the 
wise Bulger lead along the broad and silent highway, farther 
and yet farther from the city of the Mikkamenkies, until at 
last the music of the fountains pattering in their crystal basins 
died away in the distance and the darkness far behind me. I 
felt that my wise little brother was right, and so I followed on 
after, with not a sigh or a syllable to stay him. 

But he halted at last, and, as I felt about me, I discovered 
that I was standing beside one of the richly carved seats that 
one so often meets with along the Marble Highwa3^ I was 
quite as foot-weary as I was heart-heav^y and reaching out 
I touched the spring which I knew would transform the seat 
into a bed. and clambering upon it with my wise Bulger 
nestled beside me, I soon fell into a deep and refreshing sleep. 

When I aAvoke and, sitting up, looked back toward Queen 
Crystallina’s capital, I could see the River of Light pouring 
down its flood of white rays far away in the distance ; but only 
a faint reflection came out to where we had passed the night, 
and then I knew that my faithful companion had led me to the 
verj’ uttermost limit of the Mikkamenky domain before he had 
halted. Yes, sure enough, for, as I raised m3" eyes, there tower- 
ing above the bed stood the slender crystal column which 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


87 


marked the end of Goggle Land, and upon its face I read the 
extract from a royal decree forbidding a Mikkamenky to over- 
step this limit under pain of incurring the queen’s most serious 
displeasure. 

Before me was darkness and uncertainty ; behind me lay tlie 
fair Kingdom of the Transparent Folk yet in sight, lighted up 
like a long line of happy homes in which the fires were blazing 
bright and warm on the hearthstones. 

Did I turn back? Did I hesitate? No. I could see a pair 
of speaking eyes fixed upon me, and could hear a low whine of 
impatience coaxing me along. 

Stooping down, I fastened a bit of silken cord taken from the 
bed to Bulger’s collar and bade him lead the way. 

It was a long while before the light of Queen Crystallina’s 
city faded away entirely, and even when it ceased to be of any 
service in making known to me the grandeur and beauty of the 
vast underground passage, I could still see it glitter like a 
silver star away, away behind me. 

But it disappeared at last, and then I felt that I had parted 
forever with the dear little princess with the speck in her 
heart. 

Bulger didn’t seem to have the slightest difficulty in keeping 
in the centre of the Marble Highway, and never allowed the 
leading string to slack up for a moment. However, it was by 
no means a tramp through utter darkness, for the lizards of 
which I have already spoken, aroused by the sound of my foot- 
falls, snapped their tails and lighted up their tiny flash torches 
in eager attempts to discover whence the noise proceeded, and 
what sort of a being it was that had invaded their silent 
domains. AVe had covered possibly two leagues when suddenly 
a low and mysterious voice, as soft and gentle as if it had 
dropped from the clear, starry heavens of my own beautiful 
world, reached my ear. 

“ Sebastian ! Sebastian ! ” it murmured. Before I could stop 
to think, I uttered a cry of wonder, and the noise of my voice 


88 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


seemed to awaken ten thousand of the tiny living flash lights 
inhabiting the cracks and crevices of the vast arched corridor, 
flooding it for a moment or so with a soft and roseate radiance. 

“ Sebastian ! Sebastian ! ” again murmured the mellow and 
echo-like voice, coming from the very walls of rock beside me. 

Hastily drawing near to the spot whence the words seemed to 
come, I laid my ear against the smooth face of the rock. Again 
the same soft-sighing voice pronounced my name so clearly and 
so close beside me that I reached out to grasp Crystallina’s 
hand, for hers was the voice, — the same low, sweet voice that 
had told me of her sorrow in the Spectral Garden ; but there 
was no one there. In reaching out, however, I had passed my 
left hand along the face of the wall, and it had marked the 
presence of a round smooth opening in its rock}' face, an open- 
ing about the size of a rain-water pipe in the upper world. 

Instantly it flashed upon my mind that through some whim 
of nature this opening extended for leagues back towards the 
city of the Mikkamenkies through the miles of solid rock, and 
opened in the very Throne Room of the Princess Crystal! ina. 

Yes, I was right, for after a moment or so again the same 
low, sweet voice came through the speaking-tube of nature’s 
own making and fell upon my eager ear. 

I waited until it had ceased, and setting my mouth in front 
of the opening I murmured in strong but gentle tones, — 

“ Farewell, dear Princess Crystallina. Bulger and the little 
baron both bid thee a long farewell ! ” and then raising Bulger 
in my arms, I bade him weep for his royal friend whom he 
would never see again. 

He gave a long, low, piteous cry, half-whine, half-howl, and 
then I listened for Crvstallina’s voice. It was not long in 
coming. 

“Farewell, dear Bulger; farewell, dear Sebastian! Crystal- 
lina will never forget you until her poor heart with the speck 
in it runs down and the Crystal Throne knows her no more.” 
Poor Bulger ! It now became my turn to tear him from this 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


89 


spot, for Ciystallina’s voice, sounding thus unexpectedly in his 
ears, had aroused all the deep affection which he had so ruth- 
lessly smothered in order to bring his little master to his senses 
and free him from the charm of Ciystallina’s grace and beauty. 
But in vain. All my strength, all my entreaties, were powerless 
to move him from the place. 

Evidently Crystallina had heard me pleading with Bulger 
and had imagined that now I would waver and stand irresolute. 

“ Heed dear Bulger’s prayer, O beloved,” she pleaded, “ and 
turn back, turn back to thy disconsolate Crystallina, whom thou 
madest so happy for a brief moment ! Turn back ! Oh, turn 
back ! ” Bulger now began to whine and cry most piteously. 
I felt that something must be done at once, or the most direful 
consequences might ensue — that Bulger, crazed by the sweet 
tones of Crystallina’s voice, might break away from me and dart 
away in mad race back to the city of the Mikkamenkies, back 
to the fair young queen of the Crystal Throne. 

It became necessary for me to resort to trick and artifice to 
save my dear little brother from his own loving heart. Drawing 
his head up against my body and covering his eyes with my left 
arm, I quickly unloosened my neckerchief, and thrusting it into 
this wonderful speaking-tube closed it effectively. 

And thus I saved my faithful Bulger from himself, thus I 
closed his ears to the music of Crystallina’s voice ; but it was 
not until after a good hour’s waiting that he could bring himself 
to believe that his beloved friend would speak no more. 

After several hours more of journeying along the Marble 
Highway a speck of light caught my eye, far on ahead, and I 
redoubled my pace to reach it quickly. I was soon rewarded 
for my trouble by entering a wonderful chamber, circular in 
form, with a domed roof. In the centre of this fair temple of 
the underground world sprang a glorious fountain with a mighty 
rush of waters which brought with them such a phosphorescence 
that this vast round chamber was lighted up with a pale yellow 
light in which the countless crystals of the roof and sides 
sparkled magnificently. 


90 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Here we passed the night, or what I called the night, refresh- 
ing ourselves with food which I had brought from the Kingdom 
of the Mikkamenkies, and drinking and bathing in the wonder- 
ful fountain which leaped into the air with a rush and a whir, 
and filled it with a strange and fitful radiance. Upon awaking 
both Bulger and I felt greatly refreshed both in body and mind, 
and we made haste to seek out the lofty portal opening upon 
the Marble Highway, and were soon trudging along it again. 
Hour after hour we kept on our feet, for something told me that 
we could not be far away from the confines of some other 
domain of this World within a World; and this inward prompt- 
ing of mine proved to be correct, for Bulger suddenly gave a 
joyful bark and began to caper about as much as to say, — 

“ O little mastei', if thou only hadst my keen scent, thou 
wouldst know that we are drawing near to human habitations of 
some kind ! ” 

Sure enough, in a few moments a faint light came creeping in 
beneath the mighty arches of the broad corridor, and every 
instant it gathered in strength until now I could see clearly 
about me, and then all of a sudden I caught sight of the source 
of this shy and unsteady light. There in front of me towered 
two gigantic candelabra of carved and chased and polished sil- 
ver, both crowned with a hundred lights, one on each side of 
the Marble Highway — not the dull, soft flames of oil or wax, 
but the white tongues of fire produced by ignited gas escaping 
from the chemist’s retort. 

It was marvellous, it was magnificent, and I stood looking 
up at these great clusters of tongues of flames, spellbound by 
the glorious illumination thus set in silent majesty at this gate- 
way to some city of the under World. 

Bulger’s warning growl brought me to myself, but I must end 
this chapter here, dear friends, and halt to collect my thoughts 
before I proceed to tell you what I saw after passing this glo- 
rious gateway illumined by these two gigantic candelabra of 
solid silver. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


91 


CHAPTER XV 

THE GUARDS AT THE SILVER GATEWAY. — WHAT THEY WERE 
LIKE. — OUR RECEPTION BY THEM. — I MAKE A WONDERFUL 
DISCOVERY. — THE WORLD’S FIRST TELEPHONE. — BULGER 
AND I SUCCEED IN MAKING FRIENDS WITH THESE STRANGERS. 
— A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SOODOPSIES, THAT IS, MAKE 
BELIEVE EYES, OR THE FORMIFOLK, THAT IS, ANT PEOPLE. — 
HOW A BLIND MAN MAY READ YOUR WRITING. 

O GREAT Don Fnm, Master of all Masters, what do I not owe 
thee for having made known unto me the existence of this 
wonderful World within a World! Would that I had been a 
worker in metal ! I would not have passed the glorious portal 
at which I had halted without having set in deep intaglio upon 
its silver columns the full name of the most glorious scholar 
whom the world has ever known. Bulger had warned me that 
this gateway was guarded, and therefore I entered it cautiously, 
taking care to peer into the dark corners lest I might be a tar- 
get for some invisible enemy to hurl a weapon at. 

No sooner had I passed the gateway than three curious little 
beings of about my own height threw themselves swiftly and 
silently across the pathway. They wore short jackets, knee- 
breeches, and leggings reacliing to their ankles, but no hats or 
shoes, and their clothes were profusely decorated with beautiful 
silver buttons. 

Their hands and feet and heads seemed much too large for 
their little bodies and pipe-stemmy legs, and gave them an un- 
canny and brownie look, which was greatly increased by the 
staring and glassy expression of their large, round eyes. When 
I first caught sight of them they had hold of hands, but now 
they stood each with his pair stretched out toward Bulger and 


92 


A A/AEVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


me, waving them strangely in the air and agitating their long 
fingers as if they were endeavoring to set a spell upon us. 

I imagined that I could feel a sensation of drowsiness creep- 
ing over me and made haste to call out: — 

“Nay, good people, do not strive to set a spell upon me. I 
am the illustrious explorer from the upper world, — Sebastian 
von Troomp, — and come to you with most peaceful intent.” 

But they paid no heed to my words, merely advancing a few 
inches and with outstretched hands continued to beat and claw 
the air, pausing only to signal to each other by touching each 
other’s hands or different parts of each other’s bodies. I was 
deeply perplexed by their actions, and took a step or two for- 
ward when instantly they fell back the same distance. 

“ All men are brothers,” I exclaimed in a loud tone, “ and 
carry the same shaped hearts in their breasts. Why do you 
fear me? You are thrice my number and in your own home. 
I pray you stand fast and speak to me ! ” 

As I was pronouncing these words, they kept jerking their 
heads back as if the sound of my voice were smiting them in 
the face. It was very strange. Suddenly one of them drew 
from his pocket a ball of silken cord, and, deftly unrolling it, 
tossed one end toward me. It flew directly towards me, for its 
end was weighed with a thin disk of polished silver, as was the 
end retained in the hand of the thrower. His next move was 
to open his jacket and apparently press his disk against his 
bare body right over his heart. I made haste to do the same 
with mine, holding it firmly in place. This done, he retreated 
a step or two until the silken cord had been drawn quite taut. 
Then he paused and stood for several instants without moving 
a muscle, after which he passed the disk to one of his compan- 
ions, who, having pressed it against liis heart in turn, passed it 
to the third of the group. 

With the quickness of thought the truth now burst upon me : 
The three brownie-like creatures in front of me were not only 
blind, but they were deaf and dumb. The one sense upon which 


A MABFELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


93 


they relied, and which in them was of most marvellous keenness, 
was the sense of feeling. The strange motions of their hands 
and fingers, so much like the beating and waving of an insect's 
feelers, were simply to intercept and measure the vibrations of 
the air set in motion by the movements of my body. Their 
large round eyes, too, had but the sense of feeling, but so won- 
drously acute was it that it was almost like the power of sight, 
enabling them by the vibration of the air upon the balls to tell 
exactly how near a moving object is to them. Their purpose in 
ihrowing the silken cord and silver disk to me was by measur- 
ing the beating of my heart and comparing it with their own to 
determine whether I was liuman like them. 

Judge of my astonishment, dear friends, upon seeing one of 
their number point to the silver disk and, by means of sign-lan- 
guage, give me to understand that they wanted to feel the heart 
of the living creature in my company. 

Stooping down, 1 hastened to gratify their curiosity by apply- 
ing it over my dear Bulger’s lieart. 

At once there Avas an expression of most comical amazement 
depicted on their faces as they passed the disk from one to the 
other and pressed it against different parts of their bodies — now 
against their breasts, noAv against their cheeks, and even against 
their closed eyelids. Of course I kneAV that their amazement 
proceeded from the rapid beating of Bulger’s heart, and I 
enjoyed their childlike surprise very much. All expression of 
fear now vanished from their faces, and I was delighted with 
the look of SAveet temper and good humor that played about 
their features, uoav Avreatlied in smiles. 

Slowly and on tip-toe they dreAV near to Bulger and me and 
for several minutes amused themselA'es mightily by running 
their long, flexible fingers hither and thither over our bodies. 

It did not take them long to discoA^er that I Avas to all intents 
and purpose a creature of their own kind, but not so with 
Bulgrer. Their round faces became seamed and lined Avith 

o 

wonder as they made themselves ac(iuainted Avith his, to them. 


94 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


strange build, and ever and anon as they felt him over would 
they pause and in lightning-like motions of their fingers on 
each other’s hands and arms and faces exchange thoughts as to 
the wonderful being which had entered the portal of their city. 

No doubt you are dying of impatience, dear friends, to be told 
something more definite concerning these strange people among 
whom I had fallen. Well, know, then, that their existence had 
been darkly hinted at in the manuscript of the Great Master, 
Don Fum. I say darkly hinted at, for you must bear in mind 
that Don Fum never visited this World within a World; that his 
wonderful wisdom enabled him to reason it all out without see- 
ing it, just as the great naturalists of our day, upon finding a 
single tooth belonging to some gigantic creature which lived 
thousands of years ago, are able to draw complete pictures of 
him. 

Well, these curious beings whose city Bulger and I had 
entered are called by two different names in Don Fum’s won- 
derful book. In some places he speaks of them as the Soodop- 
sies, or Make-believe Eyes, and in others as the Formifolk or 
Ant People. Either name was most appropriate, their large, 
round, clear eyes being really make-believe ones, for, as I have 
told you, they had absolutely no sense of sight ; while on the 
other hand, the fact that they were deaf, dumb, and blind, and 
lived in underground homes, made them well entitled to the 
name of Ant People. In a few moments the three Soodopsies 
had succeeded in teaching me the main principles of their pres- 
sure-language, so that I was, to their great delight, enabled to 
answer a number of their questions. 

But think not, dear friends, that these very wise and active 
little folk, skilled in so many arts, have no other language than 
one consisting of pressures of different degree, made by their 
finger-tips upon each other’s bodies. They had a most beautiful 
language, so rich that they were able to express the most diffi- 
cult thoughts, to give utterance to the most varied emotions ; 
in short, a language quite the equal of ours in all respects save 







THE FORMIFOLK TRY THE BEAT OF THE BARON’S HEART BY TELEPHONE. 





A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


97 


one — it contained absolutely no word that could give them the 
faintest notion what color was. This is not to be wondered at, 
for they themselves neither had nor could have even the faint- 
est conception of what I meant by color, so that when I at- 
tempted to make them understand that our stars were bright 
points in the sky, they asked me if they would prick my finger 
if I should press upon one of them. But you doubtless are 
anxious to know how the Formifolk can possibly make use of 
any other language than that of pressures. Well, I will tell 
you. Every Soodopsy carried at his girdle a little blank-book, 
if I may so term it, the covers being of thin silver plates vari- 
ously carved and chased as the owner’s taste may prompt. The 
leaves of this book also consist of thin sheets of silver not much 
thicker than our tin-foil ; also fastened to his girdle by a silken 
cord hangs a silver pen or, rather, a stylus. Now, when a Soo- 
dopsy wishes to say something to one of his people, something 
too difficult to express by pressures of the finger-tips, he simply 
turns over a leaf of the silver against the inside of either cover, 
both of which are slightly padded, and taking up his stylus 
proceeds to write out what he wishes to say ; and this done he 
deftly tears the leaf out and hands it to his companion, who 
taking it and turning it over, runs the wonderfully sensitive 
tips of his fingers over the raised writing and reads it with the 
greatest ease ; only of course he reads from right to left instead 
of from left to light, as it was written. So, hereafter, when I 
repeat my conversations with the Formifolk, you will under- 
stand how they were conducted. 


98 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XVI 

IDEAS OF THE FORMIFOLK CONCERNING OUR UPPER WORLD. — 
THE DANCING SPECTRE. — THEIR EFFORTS TO LAY HOLD OF 
HIM. — MY SOLEMN PROMISE THAT HE SHOULD BEHAVE HIM- 
SELF. — WE SET OUT FOR THE CITY OF THE MAKE-BELIEVE 
EYES. — MY AJVIAZEMENT AT THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE 
APPROACHES TO IT. — WE REACH THE GREAT BRIDGE OF 
SILVER, AND I GET MY FIRST GLANCE OF THE CITY OF CAN- 
DELABRA. — BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE WONDERS SPREAD OUT 
BEFORE MY EYES. — EXCITEMENT OCCASIONED BY OUR 
ARRIVAL. — OUR SILVER BED-CHAMBER. 

Although thousands and thousands of years had gone by 
siiuie the Formifolk had, by constant exposure to the flicker 
and glare of the burning gas which their ancestors had dis- 
covered and made use of to illumine their underground world, 
gradually lost their sense of sight, and then in consequence of 
the deep and awful silence that forever reigned about them had 
also lost their sense of hearing and naturally thereafter their 
power of speech, yet, marvellous to relate, they still kept within 
tlieir minds dim and shadowy traditions of the upper world, and 
the “ mighty lamp,” as they called the sun, which burned for 
twelve hours and then went out, leaving the world in darkness 
until the spirits of the air could trim it again. And, strange to 
sa}', many of the unreal things of the upper world had been by 
the workings of their minds transformed into realities, while the 
realities had become the merest cobwebs of the brain. For 
instance, the shadows cast by our bodies in the sunlight and 
forever following at our heels they had come to think were 
actual creatures, our doubles, so to speak, and that on account 
of these “ dancing spectres,” as they called them, which dogged 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


99 


our footsteps for our life long, sitting like marjoys at our feasts, 
it was utterly impossible for the people of the upper world to be 
entirely happy as they were, and it occurred to them at once 
that I must have such a double following at my heels, so several 
times they suddenly joined hands, and, forming a circle about 
me, gradually closed up with intent to lay hold of the dancing 
spectre. This they did, too, after I had assured them that what 
they had in mind was the mere shadow cast by a person walking 
in the light. But as they had absolutely no idea of the nature 
of light, I only had my trouble for my pains. 

Nor did they give over making every now and then the most 
frantic and laughable efforts to catch the little dancing gentle- 
man who, as they were bound to think, was quietly trudging 
along at my heels, but who, so they informed me, was far 
quicker in his motions than any escaping water or falling object. 
Finally, they held one of their silent but very excited powwows, 
during which the thousand lightning-like pressures and tappings 
which they made upon each other’s bodies gave the spectator 
the idea that they were three deaf and dumb schoolboys engaged 
in a scrimmage over a bag of marbles, and then they informed 
me that they had resolved to permit Bulger and me to enter 
their city provided I would give them the word of a nobleman 
that I would restrain my nimble-footed double from doing them 
any harm. 

I made them a most solemn promise that he should behave 
himself. Whereupon they greeted both Bulger and me as 
brothers, stroking our hair, patting our heads, and kissing me on 
the cheeks, and, what was more, they told us their names, wliich 
were Long Thumbs, Square Nose, and Shaggy Brows. 

All this time I had been every now and then casting anxious 
glances on ahead of me, for I was dying of impatience to enter 
the marvellous city of the Ant People. 

I say marvellous, dear friends, for though many had been the 
wonderful things I had seen in my lifetime in the far-away 
corners of the upper world, yet here was a sight which, as it 


100 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


gradually unfolded itself before my eyes, shackled my very heart 
and caused me to gasp for breath. It was with no little sur- 
prise at the very outset that I discovered that the walls and 
floor of the beautiful passage through which the Soodopsies 
were leading Bulger and me were of pure silver, the former being 
composed of polished panels ornamented with finely executed 
chasings and carvings, and the latter, as had in fact all the floors 
and streets and passages of the city having upon their polished 
surfaces slightly raised characters which I will explain later. 
But as one passage opened into another, and then four or more 
all centred in a vast circular chamber which we traversed with 
our three silent guides only to enter chambers and corridors of 
greater size and beauty, all brilliantly lighted by rows of the 
same glorious candelabra upholding clusters of tongues of flame 
— I could compare the scene to nothing save a series of magnifi- 
cent ball-rooms and banquet-halls, out of which the happy 
guests had been suddenly driven by the deep and awful rumble 
of an earthquake shock, the lights having been left burning. 

Now the scene began to change. Long Thumbs, who was 
leading the way, and in whose large palm my little hand lay 
completely lost, suddenly turned to the right and led me up an 
arched way. I saw that we were crossing a bridge over a 
stream as black and sluggish as Lethe itself. 

But such a bridge ! Never had my eye rested upon so light 
and airy a span, springing from bank to bank ; not the plain 
and solid work of the stone-mason, but the fair and cunning re- 
sult of the metal worker’s skill, like the labor of love, dehcate, 
yet strong, and almost too beautiful for use. 

Two rows of silver lamps of exquisite workmanship crowned 
its gracefully arching sides, and when we stood upon its highest 
bend, Long Thumbs halted and wrote upon his tablet : “Now, 
little baron, we are about to enter the dwelling-place of our 
people. Thy head is large, and there is, no doubt, much of 
wisdom stored away in thy brain. Make such use of it as not 
to disturb the perfect happiness of our nation, for no doubt 


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101 


many of our people will be suspicious of thee, and for the first 
time in thousands of years a Soodopsy will lay him down to 
sleep, and in his dreams feel the touch of the dancing spectre 
of the upper world.” I promised Long Thumbs that he should 
have no reason to be dissatisfied with me, and then making an 
excuse that I was a-weary, I feasted my eyes for several moments 
upon the glorious scene spread out before me. 

It was the city of the Formifolk in all its splendor — a splen- 
dor, alas, unseen by, unknown to, the very people dwelling in 
it, for to them its silver walls and arches, its endless rows of 
glorious candelabra uplifting their countless clusters of never- 
dying jets of flame, its exquisitely carved and chiselled portals 
and gateways, its graceful chairs and settees and beds and 
couches and tables and lamps and basins and ewers and thou- 
sands of articles of furniture all in purest silver, hammered or 
wrought by the cunning hands of their ancestors while they 
still were possessed of the power of sight, could only be known 
to these, their descendants, by the sole sense of feeling. 

From the lofty ceilings of corridors and archways, from the 
jutting ornaments of the house-fronts, from cornice and coping, 
from the four sides of columns, and from the corners of cupolas 
and minarets, here and there and everywhere hung silver lamps 
of more than Oriental beauty of form and finish, all with their 
never-dying tongues of flame sending forth a soft though 
unsteady light to fall upon sightless eyes ! 

But yet these countless flames, by the aid of which I was 
enabled to gaze upon the splendor of this city of silver palaces, 
were life if not light to the Soodopsies, for they warmed these 
vast subterranean depths and filled them with a deliciously soft 
and strangely balmy air. 

And yet to think that Bulger and I were the only two living 
creatures to be able to look upon this scene of almost celestial 
beauty and radiance ! 

It made me sad, and plunged me into such a fit of deep 
abstraction that it required a second gentle tug of Long 
Thumbs’ hand to bring me to myself. 


102 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


As we crossed the bridge and entered the city proper, I was 
delighted to note that the streets and open squares were orna- 
mented with hundred of statues all in solid silver, and that 
they represented specimens of a race of great beauty of person ; 
and then it occurred to me how fortunate it was that the Soo- 
dopsies could not gaze upon these images of their ancestors 
and thus become living witnesses of their own woful falling- 
away from the former physical grace of their race. 

Now, like human ants that they were, the Formifolk began to 
swarm forth from their dwellings on every side of the city, and 
my keen ear caught the low shuffling sound of their bare feet 
over the silver streets as they closed in about us, their arms 
flashing in the light and their faces lined with strange emotions 
as they learned of the arrival among them of two creatures from 
the upper world. They were all clad, men and women alike, in 
silk garments of a chestnut brown, and I at once concluded that 
they drew this material from the same sources as the Mikkamen- 
kies, for, dear friends, you must not get an idea that the Formi- 
folk were not well deserving of the name which Don Fum had 
bestowed upon them. They were genuine human ants and, ex- 
cept when sleeping, always at work. 

It was true that since their blindness had come upon them 
they had not been able to add a single column or archway to the 
Silver City, but in all the ordinary concerns of life they were 
quite as industrious as ever, chasing, carving, chiselling, planting, 
weaving, knitting, and doing a thousand and one things that you 
and I with our two good eyes would find it hard to accomplish. 

I had made known to Long Thumbs the fact that Bulger and 
I were both very tired and weary from our long tramp, and that 
we craved to have some refreshment set before us, and then to be 
permitted to go to rest at once, promising that after we had had 
several hours’ good sleep we would take the greatest pleasure in 
being presented to the worthy inhabitants of the Silver City. 

It was astonishing with what rapidity this request of mine 
spread from man to man. Long Thumbs made it known to two at 


A MABVELZOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


103 


the same time, and these two to four, and these four to eight, and 
these eight to sixteen, and so on. You see it wouldn’t take long 
at that rate to tell a million. 

Like magic the Formifolk disappeared from the streets, and 
in a sort of orderly confusion faded from my sight. Bulger and 
I were right glad to be conducted to a silver bed-chamber, where 
the traveller’s every want seemed to be anticipated. The only 
thing that bothered us was, we had not been accustomed to keep 
the light burning upon going to bed, and this made us both a 
little wakeful at first ; but we were too tired to let it keep us 
from dropping off after a few moments, for the mattress was 
soft and springy enough to satisfy any one, and I’m sure that 
no one could have complained that the house wasn’t quiet 
enough. 


104 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XVII 

IN WHICH YOU READ, DEAR FRIENDS, SOMETHING ABOUT A 
LIVE ALARM CLOCK AND A SOODOPSY BATHER AND RUBBER. 
— OUR FIRST BREAKFAST IN THE CITY OF SILVER. — A NEW 
WAY TO CATCH FISH WITHOUT HURTING THEIR FEELINGS. — 
HOW THE STREETS AND HOUSES WERE NUMBERED, AND 
WHERE THE SIGNBOARDS WERE. — A VERY ORIGINAL LI- 
BRARY IN WHICH BOOKS NEVER GET DOG-EARED. — HOW 
VELVET SOLES ENJOYED HER FAVORITE POETS. — I AM 
PRESENTED TO THE LEARNED BARREL BROW, WHO PRO- 
CEEDS TO GIVE ME HIS VIEWS OF THE UPPER WORLD. — 
THEY ENTERTAINED ME AJVIAZINGLY AND MAY INTEREST 
YOU. 

I can’t tell you, dear friends, exactly how long Bulger and I 
slept, but it must have been a good while, for when I was 
awakened I felt thoroughly refreshed. I say awakened, for I 
was awakened by a gentle tapping on the back of my hand — six 
taps. 

At first I thought I was dreaming, but, upon rubbing my eyes, 
I saw standing by the side of my bed one of the Soodopsies 
who, feeling me stir, took up his tablet and wrote as follows : — 
“ My name is Tap Hard. I am a clock. There is a score of 
us. We keep the time for our people by counting the swing of 
the pendulum in the Time House. It swings about as fast as 
we breathe. There are one hundred breaths to a minute and 
one hundred minutes to an hour. Our day is divided into six 
hours’ worktime and six hours’ sleeptime. It is now the rising 
hour. If thou wilt be pleased to rise, one of our people from 
the Health House will rub all the tired out of thy limbs. 

I touched Tap Hard’s heart to thank him, and made haste to 
scramble out of bed. Now, for the first time, I looked about the 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


105 


silver chamber in which I had slept. On silver shelves lay silver 
combs and silver shears and silver knives ; on a silver stand stood 
a silver ewer within a silver basin ; on silver pegs hung silken 
towels, while spread upon the silver floor lay soft, silken rugs, 
and above and around on ceiling and walls the tongues of flame 
were a thousand times repeated in the panels of burnished 
silver. 

I had made trial of all sorts of Oriental rubber and bath at- 
tendants in my day, but the silent little Soodopsy who laved 
and rubbed and tapped and stroked me exceeded them all in 
dexterity, added to which was a new charm, for I was not obliged 
to listen to long and senseless tales of adventure and intrigue, 
but was left quite alone to my own thoughts. Bulger was also 
treated to a sponging and a rubbing — a luxury which he had 
not enjoyed since we had left Castle Trump. 

]\Iy toilet was no sooner completed than Long Thumbs made 
his appearance to inquire after my health and to superintend 
the serving of my breakfast, which consisted of a piece of most 
delicate boiled fish flanked with oysters of delicious flavor, and 
trimmed with slices of those monstrous mushrooms which I had 
eaten among the Mikkamenkies, the whole served in a beautiful 
silver dish on a silver tray with silver eating utensils. 

Remembering the strange way in which the fish were caught 
and killed in the Land of the Mikkamenkies, I was curious to know 
how the Soodopsies managed it, for I knew enough of them to 
know that the sensation of anything struggling for its life in 
their hands would suffice to throw them into fits of great suffer- 
ing, to fill their gentle hearts with nameless terror. 

“ At the end of one of the many corridors leading out of our 
city,” explained Long Thumbs, “ there is a rocky chamber which 
was called by our ancestors Uphaslok, or the Death Hole, be- 
cause any being which breathes its air for a few moments is sure 
to die. So they closed it up forever, leaving only a small pipe 
projecting through the door ; but, strange to say, those who 
breathe this air suffer no pain whatever, but presently drop off 


106 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

into a pleasant dream, and, unless they be rescued, would, of 
course, never wake again. Now, as our laws forbid us to cause 
any pain to the most insignificant creature, it occurred to our 
ancestors that by means of a long pipe they could turn this 
poisoned air into the river whenever they wanted a supply of 
fish for food. This they did, and, strange to say, the moment the 
fish felt the gas bubbling into the river, they at once swam up 
to the mouth of the pipe, and struggled with each other for 
a chance to catch the deadly bubbles as they left its mouth, so 
pleasant a sensation do they cause as they gradually plunge, 
the creature breathing them into his last sleep. And in this 
way it is we are enabled to feed upon the fish in our river, with- 
out breaking the law of the land.” 

I began to understand that I had fallen in with a very original 
and interesting folk, but Bulger was not altogether pleased with 
them, for several reasons, as I soon observed. In the first 
place he couldn’t accustom' himself to the cold and glassy look 
of their eyes, and in the next he was a bit jealous of their won- 
derfully keen scent — a sense which with them was so strong 
that they invariably gave signs of being conscious of Bulger’s 
approach even before I could see him, and always turned their 
faces in the direction in which he was coming. 

You will remember, dear friends, that I mentioned the fact 
that the Formifolk went barefoot, and that their feet as well as 
their hands seemed altogether too large for their bodies, and I 
wish to add, that while Bulger and I were being led through 
the long corridors and winding passages on our way into the 
City of Silver, the three Soodopsies frequently half halted and 
seemed to be feeling on the floor for something with the balls of 
their feet. I thought no more about it, until Bulger and I 
started out for our first stroll through their wonderful town, 
when, to my great delight, I made the discovery that the 
numbers of the houses, the names of the occupants, the names of 
the streets, as well as all signboards, so to speak, and all 
guide-posts were in slightly raised letters on the floors and 



BARREL BROW ENGAGED IN READING FOUR BOOKS AT ONCE. 







A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


109 


pavements, and then the truth dawned upon me, that Long 
Thumbs and his companions were simply halting now and then 
to read the names of the streets with the balls of their feet, in 
order to know if they were taking the right road. 

Ay, more than this, dear friends, the first time Bulger and I 
passed through one of the open squares of the City of Silver, 
you may imagine my satisfaction upon the discovery that the 
silver pavements were literally covered with the writings of 
the Soodopsy authors in raised characters. 

Now, in Don Fum’s wonderful book he had, in his masterly 
manner, given me the key to the language of the Formifolk, so 
that with very slight effort I was able to make the additional 
discovery that some of the streets were given up to the writers 
of histoiy, and some to story writers, while others were filled 
with the learned works of philosophers, and others still contained 
many thousands oi lines from the best poets which the nation 
had produced. 

And I had very little difficulty in discovering which were the 
favorite poems of the Soodopsies, for, as you may readily suppose, 
these were polished like a silver mirror by the shuffling of the 
many thankful feet over their sweet and soulful lines. 

I noticed that the writings of the philosophers in this, as in 
my own world, found few readers, for the raised letters were, in 
many cases, tarnished and black from lack of soles trampling 
over them in search of wisdom. 

Somewhat later, when I had become acquainted with Velvet 
Soles, the daughter of Long Thumbs, a gracious little being 
as full of inward light as she was blind to the outer world, 
and she invited me to “ come for a read,” I had a hard task 
of it in persuading her that I could not remove what she called 
my ridiculous “ foot boxes ” and join her in enjoying some 
of her favorite poems. It was to me a delicious pastime to 
accompany this happy little maiden when she “ went for a 
read,” to walk beside her and watch the ever-varying expression 
of her beautiful face as the soles of her tiny feet pressed the 


110 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


words of love and hope and joy, and her heart expanded, and she 
clasped her hands in attitudes of blissful enjoyment, seemingly 
just as deep and fervent as if the blessed sunlight rested on her 
brow, and her eyes were drinking in the glory of a summer 
sunset. O dwellers in the upper world with the light 
streaming into the windows of your souls, with your ears open 
to the music of pipe and flute and violin, and to the sweeter 
music of the voice of love, how much more have ye than she, 
and yet how rarely are ye as happy, how rarely do ye know 
that sweet contentment which, as in this case, came from within ? 

“ Go to the ant ; consider her ways, and be wise, which, having 
no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer 
and gathereth her food in the harvest.” 

In a short time the Formifolk seemed to become quite accus- 
tomed to having Bulger and me among them, and they appar- 
ently “ touched hands ” with me in quite as friendly a fashion 
as if I had been one of them. 

One day Long Thumbs conducted me to the house of the 
most aged and learned of the Soodopsies, Barrel Brow by name. 

He received me very cordially, although I interrupted him at 
his studies, for, as I entered his apartment, he was in the act of 
reading four different books at the same time : two were lying 
on the floor, and he was perusing their raised characters with 
the soles of his feet, and two others were set up on a frame in 
front of him and he was deciphering them with the tips of his 
fingers. * 

But when informed who I was he stopped work at once and 
taking up his tablets, asked me a number of questions con- 
cerning the upper world, of which he had, however, no very 
exalted opinion. 

“You people,” said he, “if I understand correctly the ancient 
writings of those of our nation who still preserved certain tradi- 
tions of the upper world, are endowed with several senses which 
are utterly lacking in us, I am happy to say, for if I understand 
correctly ye have in the first place a sense which ye call hearing, 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


111 


a most troublesome sense, for by means of it ye are being con- 
stantly disturbed and annoyed by vibrations of the air coming 
from afar. No^y, they can be of no possible good to you. Ye 
might as well have a sense that would inform you what was 
going on in the moon. Therefore, my conclusion is, that the 
sense of hearing only serves to distract and weaken the brain. 

“ Another sense that ye are possessed of,” continued Barrel 
Brow, “ ye call the sense of sight — a power even more useless 
and distracting than hearing, for the reason that it enables you 
to know things which it is utterly bootless to know, such as 
what your next door neighboi’S may be doing, how the moun- 
tains are acting on the other side of your rivei-s, how your sky, 
as ye call it, might feel if you could touch it with your fingers, 
which ye can’t do, however ; how soon rain will fall, which is a 
useless piece of knowledge if ye have roofs to cover you, as I 
suppose ye have ; but the most ridiculous use which ye make 
of this sense of sight is the manufacture of what ye call pic- 
tures, by means of which ye seem to take the greatest pleasure 
in deceiving this very sense of which ye are so very proud. If 
I understand correctly these pictures, if felt of, are quite as 
smooth as that panel there, but so cunningly do ye draw the 
lines and lay in the colors, whatever they may be, that ye really 
succeed in deceiving yourselves and stand for hours in front of 
one of these bits of trickery wlien ye might, if ye chose, feast 
your eyes, as ye call it, upon the very thing which the trickster 
has imitated. Now, as life is much shorter in the upper world 
than in ours, it seems very strange to me that ye should wish to 
waste it in this foolish manner. Then, there is another thing, 
little baron,” continued the learned Barrel Brow, “ which I wish 
to mention. It is this : The people of the upper world pride 
themselves very much upon what they term the power of speech, 
which, if I understand correctly, is a faculty they have of express- 
ing their thoughts to each other by violently expelling the air 
from their lungs, and that this air, rushing into the ventilators 
of the brain, which ye call ears, produces a sensation of sound 


112 


A MABVELLOf/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


as ye term it, and in this way one of thy people standing at one 
end of the town might make his wishes known to another stand- 
ing at the other end. Now, thou wilt pardon my thinking so, 
little baron, but this seems to me to be not a whit above the 
brute creature, which, opening its vast jaws, thus sets the air in 
motion in calling its young or breathing defiance at an enemy. 
And if I understand correctly, little baron, so proud are thy 
people of this power of speech that they insist upon making use 
of it at all times and upon all occasions, and, strange to say, 
tliese ‘ talkers ’ can always find plenty of people to open their 
ears to these vibrations of the air, although the effect is so 
wearying to the brain that in the end they invariably fall 
asleep. But if I understand correctly, the women are even 
fonder of displaying their skill in thus puffing out the air from 
their lungs than the men are ; but, that not satisfied with this 
superior power of puffing out the words, they actually have re- 
course to a potent herb which they steep in boiling water and 
drink as hot as possible on account of its effect in loosening the 
tongue and allowing the talker to do more puffing than she 
could otherwise. 

“ But all this, little baron,” continued the learned Barrel 
Brow, “might be overlooked and regarded in the light of mere 
amusement were it not for the fact, if I understand correctly, 
that brain ventilators being of different sizes in different persons, 
the consequence is that these puffs of air which ye use to make 
known your thoughts to each other produce different effects 
upon different persons, and the result is, that the people of the 
upper world spend half their time repeating the puff's which 
they have already sent out, and that even then thou canst rarely 
find two people who will agree exactly as to the number, 
kind, strength, and meaning of the puffs blown into each other’s 
brain ventilators, and that therefore has it become necessary to 
provide what ye call judges to settle these disputes which often 
last for lifetimes, the two parties spending their entire fortunes 
hiring witnesses to come before these judges and imitate the 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


113 


sound which the air made when it was set in motion years ago 
by the angry puffs of the two parties. I sincerely trust, little 
baron,” wrote the learned Barrel Brow on his tablet of silver, 
“ that when thou returnest to thy people thou wilt make known 
to them what I have written for thee to-day, for it is never too 
late to correct a fault, and the longer that fault has lasted the 
greater the credit for correcting it.” 

I promised the learned Soodopsy to do as he requested, and 
then we touched each other on the back of the head, which is 
the way they say good-by in the land of the Formifolk, a touch 
on the forehead meaning, “ How d’ye do ? ” 


114 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XVIII 

EARLY HISTORY OF THE SOODOPSIES AS RELATED BY BARREL 
BROW. — HOW THEY WERE DRIVEN TO TAKE REFUGE IN 
THE UNDER WORLD, AND HOW THEY CAAIE UPON THE 
MARBLE HIGHWAY. — THEIR DISCOVERY OF NATURAL GAS 
WHICH YIELDS THEM LIGHT AND WARMTH, AND OF NA- 
TURE’S MAGNIFICENT TREASURE HOUSE. — HOW THEY RE- 
PLACED THEIR TATTERED GARMENTS AND BEGAN TO BUILD 
THE CITY OF SILVER. — THE STRANGE MISFORTUNES THAT 
CAME UPON THEM, AND HOW THEY ROSE SUPERIOR TO 
THEM, TERRIBLE AS THEY WERE. 

And, no doubt, dear friends, you would be glad to hear some- 
thing about the early history of the Soodopsies : who they were, 
where they came from, and how they happened to find their 
way down into the World within a World. 

At least, this was the way I felt after I had been presented to 
the learned Barrel Brow, and so the next time I called upon 
him I waited patiently for him to finish reading the four books 
in front of him, and then I said, — 

“ Be pleased, dear Master, to tell me something concerning 
the early history of thy people, and to explain to me how they 
came to make their way down into this underground world.” 

“ Ages and ages ago,” wrote the learned Barrel Brow, “ my 
people lived upon the shores of a beautiful land with a vast 
ocean to the north of it, and in those days they had the same 
senses as the other people of the upper world. It was a very 
fair land, indeed, so fair that, in the words of the ancient 
chronicles, the sun looked in vain for a fairer. Its rivers were 
deep and broad, its plains were rich and fertile, and its moun- 
tains stored full of silver and gold and copper and tin, and so 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 115 


easily mined ^yere these metals that our people became famous 
as metal workers ; so deft in their workmanship that the other 
nations from far and near came to us for swords and shields and 
spear heads and suits of armor and table service and armlets and 
bracelets and, above all, for lamps most gloriously chased and 
carved to hang in their palaces and temples. And so we were 
very happy, until one terrible day the great round world gave a 
twist and we were turned away from the sun, so that its rays 
went slantingly over our heads and gave us no warmth. 

“ Ah me, I could weep now,” exclaimed the learned Barrel 
Brow, “ after all these centuries, when I think of the cruel fate 
that overtook my people. In a few months the whole face of 
our fair land was covered with ice and snow, and our cattle died, 
and many of our people, too, before they could weave thick 
cloth to keep their delicate bodies from the pinching cold. 
But this was not all ; the great blue ocean which had until then 
dashed its warm waves and white foam up against our shores 
now breathed its icy breath full upon us, driving us into our 
cellars to escape its fury; and in a few brief months, to our 
horror, there came drifting down upon us fields and mountains 
of ice, which the tempestuous waters cast up against our shores 
with deafening crash. To remain there meant death, swift and 
terrible, so the command was given to abandon homes and fire- 
sides and escape to the southward, and this most of them did. 
But it so happened that several hundred families belonging to 
the metal-working guilds, who knew the underground passages 
to the mines as foresters know the pathless wood, had taken 
refuge in the vast underground caverns with all the goods they 
could carry. Poor deluded creatures ! they thought that this 
sudden coming of the winter blast, of the blinding snow and 
vast floating fields of ice, was but a freak of nature, and that in 
a few months the old warmth and the old sunshine would come 
back again. 

“ Alas, months went by and their supply of food was almost 
exhausted and the entrances to the mines were closed by 


116 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


gigantic blocks of ice cemented into one great mass by the 
snow Avhich the gray clouds had sifted down upon them. 

“ There was now no escape that way. Their only hope was to 
make their way underground to some portal to the upper world. 

“So, Avith lighted torches but Avith hearts plunged in the 
darkness of despair, they kept on their Avay, when one day, 
or one night, they kneAV not Avhich, their leaders suddenly came 
upon a broad street of marble opened by nature’s own hands. 
It was skirted by a softly floAving river that SAvarmed Avith fish 
in scales and shells and skin, and here our people halted to eat 
and drink and rest, and Avhile one of their number Avas striking 
his flint on one occasion to make a fire to cook a meal, to his 
surprise and delight a tongue of flame darted up from the rocky 
floor and continued to burn, giving light and Avarmth to them. 

“ As they had brought their tools — their drills and chisels and 
files and gravers and bloAv-pipes — Avith them in their carts and 
Avagons, they made haste to fit a pipe to this opening in the 
rock and set up a cluster of lights. With food and water and 
Avarmth and light their hearts greAv lighter, especially as they 
soon discovered that in many of the vast caverns gigantic mush- 
rooms grew in the wildest profusion. 

“ The wisest of them,” continued the learned Barrel Brow, 
“ at once made up their minds that there must be reservoirs of 
this gas farther along on this beautiful Marble HighAvay, so, day 
by day, they pushed farther into this World Avithin a World, 
halting every noAv and then to set up a lighthouse as they 
called it. 

“ After advancing several leagues the exploring party, upon 
lighting a cluster of gas jets, were stricken almost speechless 
Avith Avonder at finding themselves upon the very sill of a toAv- 
ering portal opening into a succession of vast chambers, some 
Avith flat ceiling, some arched, some domed, upon the floors and 
Avails of which lay and hung inexhaustible quantities of pure 
silver. Those magnificent caverns were in reality nature’s vast 
storehouses of the glorious Avhite metal, and our people made 


A A/AnVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 117 


haste to set up clusters of gas jets here and there, so that they 
might view the wondrous treasure-house. 

“ Here they determined to remain, for here was food and 
water in never-failing supplies, and here they would have light 
and warmth, and liere they could forget their miseries by work- 
ing at their calling, using the precious metal with lavish hand 
to build them living-chambers, and to fashion the thousand and 
one things necessary for every-day life. So great was their 
delight as metal-workers to come upon this exhaustless supply 
of pure silver that they could hardly sleep until they had set up 
clusters of gas jets throughout these vast caverns, for, no doubt, 
little baron, thou hast already guessed that this is the spot I am 
telling thee of ; that right here it was where our people halted 
to build the City of Silver. 

“ But one thought troubled them and that was where to find 
needful clothing, for the old was fast falling into shreds and 
tatters, when, to their delight, they came upon a bed of mineral 
wool and with this they managed to weave some cloth. Al- 
though it was rather stiff and liarsh, yet it was better than none. 

“ While exploring a new cavern one day, one of my wise 
ancestors saw a large niglit moth alight near him, and, gently 
loosening some of its eggs, he carried them home, more as a 
curiosity than aught else. 

“ Imagine how rejoiced he was, however, to see one of the 
worms which hatched out set to work spinning a cocoon of silk 
half as big as his fist. There was great feasting and merry-mak- 
ing among our people upon hearing of this glad news, and it 
was not very long before many a silver shuttle was rattling in 
a silver loom, and the soft bodies of our people were warmly 
and comfortably clad. Now, long periods of time went by, 
which, cut up into your months, would have made many, many 
years. Our people had everything but sunlight, and this, of 
course, those who were born in the under world knew nothing 
about and therefore did not miss. 

“ But, as was to be expected, great changes gradually took place 


118 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

in our people. To their inexpressible grief, they noticed that as 
they busied themselves beautifying their new homes by erecting 
arches and bridges and terraces, and lining them with glorious 
candelabra and statues, all in cast and wrought or hammered 
silver, their sight was gradually failing them, and that in 
not a very great length of time they should be totally 
blind. 

“ This result, little baron,” continued the learned Barrel Brow, 
“ was very natural, for the sense of sight was in reality created 
for sunlight; for as thou no doubt knowest, all the fish tliat 
swim in our rivers have no eyes, having no need of them. It hap- 
pened just as they had expected — in a few generations more 
our people discovered that their eyes could no longer see things 
as thou dost, but yet they could feel them if they were not too 
far away, just as I can feel thy presence now and tell where 
thou sittest, and how tall thou art, and how broad thou art, and 
whether thou movest to right or left, forward or backward, but 
I cannot tell exactly how thou art made until I reach out and 
touch thee ; then I know all ; yes, far better than thou canst 
know, for our sense of feeling is keener than thy so-called 
sight. One of my people can feel a grain or roughness upon 
a silver mirror which to thy eyes seems smoother than glass. 
Well, strange to relate, and yet not strange, our ancestors with 
the going-out of their sense of sight also felt their sense of 
hearing on the wane. Our ears, as thou callest them, having 
nothing more to listen to, for eternal silence, as thou knowest, 
reigns in this under world, became as useless to us as the tail 
of the polywog would be to the full-grown.frog ; and of course 
with the loss of our sense of hearing our children were soon 
unable to learn to talk, and in a certain lapse of time we came 
to merit full well our new name of Formifolk, or Ant People, 
for we were now blind and deaf and dumb. 

“It is long, very, very long, little baron,” continued the 
learned Soodopsy, “ since all recollection of sunlight, of color, 
of sound, died out of our minds. To-day my people don’t even 

















A SOODOPSV MAIDEN READING HER FAVORITE POET 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 121 


know the names of these things, and thou wouldst have as 
much chance of success wert thou to attempt to tell them what 
light or sound is as thou wouldst have if thou shouldst try to 
explain to a savage that there is nothing under the world to 
hold it up, and yet it doesn’t fall. But if thou shouldst lay 
several pieces of metal in a row and ask one of my people to 
tell thee what they were, he would try the weight of each and 
feel its grain carefully, possibly smell them or touch his 
tongue to them, and then he would make answer : ‘ That is 
gold ; that is silver ; that is copper ; that is lead ; that is tin ; 
that is iron.’ 

“ But thou wouldst say, ‘ They all are differently colored ; 
canst not perceive that ? ’ 

“ ‘ I know not what thou meanest by color,’ he would reply. 
‘ But mark me : now I hide them all beneath this silken kerchief, 
and still by touching them with my finger tips I can tell wdiat 
metal each one is. If thou canst do it, then art thou as good a 
man as I.’ 

“ What sayest now, little baron ? ” asked the learned Barrel 
Brow, while his face' was wreathed in a smile of triumph; “dost 
think thou wouldst be as good a man as this Soodopsy?” 

“ Nay, indeed I do not, wise Master,” wrote I upon my silver 
tablet : “ and I thank thee for all thou has told me and taught 
me, and I ask leave, O Barrel Brow, to come again and converse 
with thee.” 

“ That thou mayest, little baron,” traced the learned Soodopsy 
upon his silver tablet ; and then as I turned to leave his cham- 
ber he reached quickly after me and touched me with a bent 
forefinger, which meant return. 

“ Thy pardon, little baron,” he wrote, “ but thou art leaving 
my study without thy faithful Bulger ; am I not right?” 

I was astounded, for indeed he was right, and though with- 
out the sense of sight he had seen more than I with two good 
eyes wide open. There lay Bulger fast asleep on a silken- 
covered hassock. 


122 A MAE VEIL OCrS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

Our silent conversation had so wearied him that he had 
sailed off into the Land of Nod on the wings of a dream. 

He hung his head and looked very shame-faced when my call 
aroused him and he discovered that I had actually reached the 
doorway without his knowing it. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 123 


CHAPTER XTX 

BEGINS WITH SOMETHING ABOUT THE LITTLE SOODOPSIES, 
BUT BRANCHES OFF ON ANOTHER SUBJECT; TO WIT; — THE 
SILENT SONG OF SINGING FINGERS, THE FAIR MAID OF THE 
CITY OF SILVER. — BARREL BROW IS KIND ENOUGH TO 
ENLIGHTEN ME ON A CERTAIN POINT, AND HE TAKES 
OCCASION TO PAY BULGER A VERY HIGH COMPLIMENT, 
WHICH, OF COURSE, HE DESERVED. 

The longer I stayed among the Soodopsies the more did I 
become convinced that they were the happiest, the lightest 
hearted, the most contented human beings that I had met in all 
my travels. If it were possible for the links of a long chain 
suspended over a chasm to be living, thinking beings for a short 
while, it seems to me they would hang together in the most 
perfect accord, for each link would discover that he was no 
better than his neighbor, and that the welfare of all the otlier 
links depended upon him and his upon theirs. So it was with 
the Formifolk, having no sense of sight they knew no such 
thing as envy, and all hands were alike when reached out for a 
greeting. 

I was amazed at times to see how they could feel my ap- 
proach when I would be ten or fifteen feet away from them, 
and I often amused myself by trying to steal by one of them in 
the street. But no, it was impossible ; a hand would invariably 
he held out for a greeting. Little by little, they got over their 
distrust of me, and made up their minds that I had told them 
the truth when I said that no dancing spectre was forever fol- 
lowing at my heels. One of the most interesting sights was to 
see a group of Soodopsy children at play, building houses with 
silver blocks, or playing a game very much like our dominoes. 


124 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


I noticed that they kept no tally, such wonderful memories 
had they that it was quite unnecessary. 

At hrst the children were so frightened upon feeling of me 
that they fled with terror pictured upon their little faces. 
Their parents explained to me that I made very much the same 
impression upon them as if I sliould feel of a person whose skin 
was as rough as a sea urchin’s. 

When at last I succeeded in coaxing several of them to my 
side, I was astounded to see one little fellow who had by chance 
pressed his tiny hand against my watch pocket spring away 
from me terror-stricken. He had felt it tick and didn’t stop 
running until he had reached his mother’s side. 

His wonderful tale that the little baron carried some strange 
animal around in his pocket soon caused a crowd to collect 
about me, and it was some time before I could persuade even 
the parents that the watch was not alive and that it was not the 
little animal’s heart which they felt beating. 

On one occasion, when a little Soodopsy was sitting on my 
lap with its tiny arm twined affectionately around my neck, I 
happened to make some remark to Bulger, when, to my amaze- 
ment, the child sprang out of my arms and darted away with a 
look of terror upon his little face. 

What had I done to him ? 

Why, it seems that by the merest chance his tiny hand had 
been pressed against my throat, and that he had been terrified 
by feeling the strange vibration caused by my voice. Immedi- 
ately the report was spread about that the little baron carried 
another little baron around in his throat, that any one could feel 
him, if I would only consent. It took me a long while to con- 
vince them that what they felt was not another little baron, but 
merely the vibration caused by my expelling my breath in a 
way peculiar to the people of the upper world. But all the 
same, I was obliged to say many hundreds of useless things to 
Bulger in order to give their little hands a chance to feel some- 
thing so wonderful. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 125 


From the little I have told you about the names of the For- 
mifolk, dear friends, you have no doubt understood that their 
names took their rise from some physical quality, defect, or 
peculiarity. Besides the names I have already mentioned, 
I remember Sharp Chin, Long Nose, Silk Ears, Smooth Palms, 
Big Knuckle, Nail Off, Hammer Fist, Soft Touch, Hole-in- 
Cheek, or Hole-in-chin (Dimple), Crooked Hair (Cowlick), 
and so on, and so on. 

But, to my amazement, one day, when asking the name of a 
young girl whose long and delicate fingers had attracted my 
attention, 1 was informed that her name was Singing Fingers, or, 
possibly, I might translate it Music Fingers. 

I had noticed that the Soodopsies had some idea of music, for 
the children often amused themselves dancing, and, while so 
engaged, beat time with their finger tips on each other’s cheeks 
or foreheads. 

But I was completely in the dark as to what they meant by 
Singing Fingers, or why the young girl should have been so 
named; hence was I greatly pleased to hear the maiden’s 
mother ask me whether I would like to feel one of her daugh- 
ter’s songs, as she termed it. Upon my acquiescing, the 
mother approached me and proceeded to roll up the sleeves of 
my coat until she had laid my arms bare to the elbow, then she 
took my arms and clasped them across my breast one above the 
other. 

Bulger watched the proceeding with somewdiat of displeas- 
ure in his eyes ; he had half an idea that these silent people might 
play some hurtful trick upon his little master. But my smile 
soon disarmed his suspicion. 

Singing Fingers now drew near, and as her sweet face with 
its sightless eyes turned full upon me I could hardly keep back 
the tears. 

And yet, why grieve for any one who seemed to be so per- 
fectly happy ? A smile played around her dainty little mouth, 
disclosing her tiny silvery white teeth like so many real pearls. 


126 


.•1 MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY. 


and her bosom rose and fell quickly, sending forth a faint breath- 
ing sound. She looked so like a radiant child of some other 
world that before I thought, I cried out, — 

“ Speak, Oh, speak, beautiful child ! ” 

In an instant she di'ew back affrighted, for the sudden vibra- 
tion of the air had startled her ; but I reached out and touched 
her hand to give her to understand that she need fear nothing, 
and then she drew near to me again. Suddenly her beautiful 
hands with their long, frail, delicate fingers were lifted into the 
air, and she began to sway her body and to wave her hands in 
gentle and graceful motions as if keeping time with some 
music. Gradually she drew nearer to me, and ever and anon 
her silken finger tips touched my hands or arms as if they were 
a keyboard and she was about to begin to execute a soft and dainty 
bit of music ; and I noticed that her fingers had some delightful 
perfume upon them. Now fast and faster the gentle taps rain 
upon me with rhythmic regularity. They soothe me, they thrill 
me, they reach my heart as if they were the sweet notes of a 
flute or the soft tones of a singer’s voice. The maiden is really 
singing to me I It seems to me that I can understand what she 
is saying, or, rather, thinking, as her dainty finger tips fairly fly 
hither and thither, and I can hear her low breathing grow louder 
and louder. Suddenly she leaves my hands and arms and I feel 
her gentle tapping on my cheeks and brow. So gently, Oh, so 
gently and soothingly her fingers touch me that at last they feel 
like rose leaves dragged across my face. The sensation is so 
delightful, so like the soft touch of sleep to weary eyes, that I 
drop off in good earnest, and when, after a moment or so, I 
opened my eyes there sat the smiling Formifolk waiting for me 
to awake, and there stood the radiant-visaged Singing Fingers 
in front of me, child-like, waiting to be commended. 

And so you see, dear friends, that it is not so hard to be 
happy after all if you only set about it in the right way. The 
Formifolk seemed to have set about it in the right way, judging 
by results, and they are the only things we have to judge by. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 127 


Some men will fish all day and not have a bite, and some people 
will try their whole lives to catch happiness and not get any 
more than a nibble. They don’t use the right kind of bait. 
Let ’em try a kind act, a live one. 

There was something I wanted to ask of the learned Barrel 
Brow, so the next call I made on him I put this question to 
him : — 

“ Is it possible, learned Master, that thy people have abso- 
lutely no guide, no overseer, no rulers ? ” 

The great scholar of the Formifolk ceased reading the four 
books which lay opened before him — one under each hand and 
one under each foot — as I handed him my silver tablet. 

“ Little baron,” was his reply, “ if there were only a bramble 
bush big enough for all you people of the upper world to jump 
into and if you could only get rid of your ears too, you would 
soon be rid of your rulers who oppress you, who prey upon you ; 
for no one would have any desire to be a ruler if there was no 
one left to look at him and if he couldn’t hear what the 
flatterers said about him. Vanity is the soil that rulers spring 
from, as the mushrooms spring from the rich loam of our dark 
caverns. They pretend that it is the exercise of power that 
they are so fond of. Believe them not. It is the gratifica- 
tion of their vanity and nothing else. 

“If it were only in thy power to say to every man who itched 
to be a ruler, — 

“‘Well and good, brother, a ruler thou shalt be; but bear 
in mind, weak man, that when thou hast donned thy gaudy 
uniform and mounted thy gayly caparisoned steed, when thou 
ridest at the head of troop and cavalcade with ten thousand 
armed men following thee on foot, as slaves their master, and 
the plaudits of the foolish multitude rend the air, no eye shall 
witness the splendor of thy triumph, no ear catch a sound of 
the deafening cheers,’ take my word for it, little baron, no one 
would want to be a ruler any more. 

“ Where there are no rulers, little baron,” continued the 


128 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


learned Barrel Brow, “ there can be no followers ; where there 
are no followers, there will be no quarrelling. When it becomes 
necessary in our nation we form the Great Circle for delibera- 
tion. Each man writes out what he thinks on his tablet. Then 
the opinions are read and counted and the majority rules. But 
we form the Great Circle only in times of urgent need. Gen- 
erally speaking, the smaller circles answer all the purposes ; in 
fact, the family circle is in most cases quite sufficient.” 

I touched first Barrel Brow’s heart in token of my gratitude 
for the many things which he had taught me, and then the back 
of his head to bid him good-night. You may imagine his and 
my delight, dear friends, when the wise Bulger raised himself 
upon his hind legs, and with his right paw also thanked the 
learned Barrel Brow, and then bade him good-night by a light 
tap on the back of his head. 

“Fortunate the traveller,” wrote the learned Soodopsy, “at- 
tended by so wise and watchful a companion ! True, like a 
child, he goes on all fours, but by so doing he brings his heart 
and his brains on the same level — the only way for a man to 
wear them if he would do his fellow-creatures any good. The 
trouble with thy people in the upper world, little baron, is that 
they think too much. They clasp minds instead of clasping 
hands ; they send messengers with gifts instead of giving them- 
selves. They hire people to dance for them, to sing for them, 
to be merry for them. They will not be satisfied until they 
have hired people to help them be sorry, to whom they may say, 
‘My friend is dead; I loved him. Weep three whole days for 
him.’ ” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


129 


CHAPTER XX 

THIS IS A LONG AND A SAD CHAPTER. — IT TELLS HOW 
DEAR, GENTLE, POUTING-LIP WAS LOST, AND HOW THE SOO- 
DOPSIES GRIEVED FOR HIM AND WHOM THEY SUSPECTED. 
— BULGER GIVES A STRIKING PROOF OF HIS WONDERFUL 
INTELLIGENCE WHICH ENABLES ME TO CONVINCE THE SOO- 
DOPSIES THAT MY “ DANCING SPECTRE ” DID NOT CAUSE 
POUTING-LIP’S DEATH. — THE TRUE TALE OF HIS TERRIBLE 
FATE. — WHAT FOLLOWS MY DISCOVERY. — HOW A BEAUTI- 
FUL BOAT IS BUILT FOR ME BY THE GRATEFUL SOODOPSIES, 
AND HOW BULGER AND I BID ADIEU TO THE LAND OF THE 
MAKE-BELIEVE EYES. 

’Twas the custom in the City of Silver to “touch all around,” 
as it was called, before going to rest. The “ touch all around ” 
began in a certain quarter of the city and passed with wonder- 
ful rapidity from man to man. Exactly how it was done I 
never could understand, but the purpose of the mysterious sig- 
nalling was to make an actual count of all the Formifolk. If a 
single one were missing, it would be most surely discovered by 
the time the “ touch all around ” had been completed. It pro- 
ceeded with lightning-like rapidity throughout the city, and 
then, if no return signal was made, the people knew that every- 
one was in his proper place ; that no Soodopsy had lost his way 
or fallen ill in some unfrequented passage. 

I don’t think that I had more than dropped off to sleep when 
I was aroused by Bulger’s gentle tugging at my sleeve. Rub- 
bing my eyes, I sat up in bed and listened. Instantly my ear 
caught that faint, shuffling sound which was always perceptible 
when any number of the Formifolk were hurrying hither and 
thither over the polished silver pavement. 


130 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


I sprang out of bed and rushed to the door, Bulger close 
at my heels. What a strange sight confronted me I I could 
compare it to nothing save to the appearance of a large ant hill 
when some mischievous boy suddenly drops a stone among the 
crowd of petty, patient, plodding people peacefully pursuing 
their work. 

In an instant all is changed: lines are broken, workmen 
jostle workmen, order becomes disorder, regularity is changed 
to confusion. Hither and thither the affrighted creatures rush 
with waving feelers, seeking for the cause of the mad outburst 
of terror. 

So it was with the Formifolk as I looked out upon them. 
With outstretched hands and tremulously moving lingers they 
rushed from side to side, jostling and bumping one another, 
while a nameless dread wfis depicted upon their upturned faces. 
Anon a group would halt, join hands, and begin to exchange 
thoughts by lightning-like pressures, tappings, and strokes, 
when others would dash against them, break them apart, and 
confusion would reign greater than ever. 

But gradually I noted that some sort of order seemed to be 
coming out of the movements of this mad throng. Here and 
there groups of three and four would form and clasp hands, 
then these smaller circles would break and form into larger 
ones, and I noted too that this ever-increasing circle was formed 
on the outside of the panic-stricken crowd, and as it grew it 
shut them in so that when a fleeing Soodopsy hurtled up against 
this steady line, his terror left him at once and he took his place 
in it. In a few moments the madly pushing, jostling throng 
had disappeared entirely and the whole city was girt round 
about by these long, steady lines. 

The Great Circle had been formed. 

After half an hour tlie deliberation was completed, and, to my 
surprise, the Great Circle broke up into squads and companies 
of foul’s and sixes and tens, and then each disappeared slowly 
and steadily with lock step, passing out of the City into the 



THE GIGANTIC TOKTOISt THAT DEVOCREH POCTIXG LIP 




A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 133 


dark or only partially lighted chambers and passages that sur- 
rounded it. The search for the missing Soodopsy had been 
begun. 

It was hours before the last squad had returned to the square 
and the Great Circle had been formed again. Alas ! the news 
was sad indeed. There came no tidings of the missing man. 
He was lost forever; and with clasped hands and slow and heavy 
step the grieving Formifolk made their way back to their 
homes, where the sighing women and children were awaiting 
their coming. As Bulger and I went back to bed again, it 
almost seemed to me as if I could hear at times the deep and 
long-drawn sighs that escaped from the gentle breasts of the 
sorrowing Soodopsies. I noticed a very touching thing on the 
following day. It was that every man, woman, and child in 
the City of Silver grieved for the lost Soodopsy as if he were 
actually brother to each of them. Love was not as with us, in 
the upper world, a thing bestowed upon those in whom we see our 
own faces repeated and in whose voices we heard our own ring 
out again, sweet and clear as in our childhood ; in other words, 
a love almost of our very selves. Oh, no ! while it was true that 
a mother’s touch was most tender to her own child, yet no little 
hand stretched out to her went without its caress. She was 
mother to them all ; to her they were all beautiful, and as their 
little frocks were all woven in the same loom, there never could 
come into her mind a temptation to feel whether a rich neigh- 
bor’s child was playing with hers, and that therefore it ought to 
receive a more loving caress. In that portion of the city where 
the children had their playgrounds the silver pavement was 
in some places marked otf with raised lines and letters, some- 
thing after the manner of our hop scotch, for the purpose of a 
game which was very popular with the little Soodopsies. Its 
name is hard to translate, ])ut it meant something like “ Little 
Bogyman,” and many an hour had Bulger and I stood there 
watching these silent little gnomes at play, fascinated by the 
wonderful skill which they would display in feigning the draw- 


134 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


ing near of the Little Bogyman, their hiding from him, his 
stealthy approach, the increasing danger, the attack, the escape, 
the new dangers, wild flight, and mad pui-suit. Fancy, there- 
fore, my astonishment one morning to note that Bulger was 
coaxing me thither, although the place was quite deserted, the 
children being all at their lessons. 

But, as it was a rule of mine always to humor Bulger’s 
whims, I went patiently along. 

In a moment, as we came to the spot where the pavement 
was marked off and inscribed as I have explained, he halted 
and with an anxious whine began to play the game of “ The 
Little Bogyman,” turning every now and then to see what 
effect his actions had upon me. 

He made no mistakes. As he entered each compartment, he 
rested his paw upon the raised letters as he had so often seen 
the children do with their little bare feet, and then mimicked 
with wonderful fidelity their actions, beginning with the first 
scent of danger and ending with mad terror at the close pursuit 
of the bogyman. 

I was more than surprised ; I was bewildered by this piece of 
mimicry on Bulger’s part. To my mind it boded some terrible 
accident to him, for I have a superstitious notion that great 
danger to an animal’s life gives him for the moment an almost 
human intelligence. It is nature caring for her own. 

But all of a sudden the real truth in this case burst upon 
me : it was not my dear little brother giving me to understand 
that some peril was threatening him, but that some danger was 
hanging over my head, the more real in that it was unseen and 
unsuspected by me. 

I called him to me and rewarded him with a caress. He was 
overjoyed to note that I had apparently understood him. I 
now made haste to seek out Barrel Brow. He was surprised to 
feel my salutation. In a moment or so I had told him all. 
Nor was he slow in detecting my excitement. He, no doubt, 
felt that in the changed character of my handwriting. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 135 


“ Calm thyself, little baron,” he wrote. “ The wise Bulger 
has told thee the truth. Thy life is in danger. I had resolved 
to send for thee this very day to warn thee of it: to bid thee quit 
the land of the Formifolk in all haste, for the notion has spread 
among our people that it was the dancing spectre at thy heels 
which caused the death of the gentle Pouting Lip, who dis- 
appeared so mysteriously the other day. I therefore counsel 
thee that thou make ready at once and quit our city to-morrow 
before the clocks rouse the people from their sleep.” 

I thanked Barrel Brow, and promised that I would heed his 
advice, although I confessed to him that I would fain have 
bided a few weeks longer, there were so many things in and 
about the wonderful City of Silver that I had not seen. But 
I owed it to the dear hearts of my own world to take the best 
care of my life, insignificant though it might appear to me. 

Then, again, I felt that it would be madness to attempt to 
reason with the Soodopsies. To them the dancing spectre at 
my heels was a real being of flesh and blood, although they had 
not been able to seize him, and it was really natural for them to 
suspect that we had made away with Pouting Lip. 

Calling out to Bulger to follow me, I left Barrel Brow’s home, 
resolved to make one more round of the wonderful city, and 
then pack up some food and clothing and be all ready for a 
start before the clocks began their tapping. 

I should explain, dear friends, that, as happens in all cities, the 
people of this one imagined at times that they hadn’t quite elbow 
room enough, and hence they surveyed other chambers, and set 
up new candelabra within them, in order to chase the cold and 
dampness away, and make them fit for human habitations. 

In the last one which they had in this way annexed to their 
fair city, fitting it with a silver doorway and tiling the floor 
with polished plates of the same beautiful metal, they had dis- 
covered a hard mound apparently of rock in one corner, and had 
resolved that they would come some day with their drills and 
picks and begin the task of removing this mound. 


136 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


A strange inclination came upon me to visit this new cham- 
ber in order to inspect the work of these eyeless workmen, and 
see how far they had proceeded wUh their task of transforming 
a cold and rocky vault into a bright, warm, healthy habitation. 

Imagine my surprise to hear Bulger utter a low growl as we 
reached the entrance, and I put out my hand to swing the door 
open, for the Soodopsies were not at work there that day, and the 
place was as silent as a tomb. 

Glancing through the grating, a sight met my gaze which 
caused my flesh to creep and my hair to stiffen. What think 
ye was it? Why, the mound in the corner was rocking and 
swaying, and from underneath one end issued a loud and angry 
hissing. I’m no coward, if I do say it myself, but this was just 
a little too much for ordinary or even extraordinary flesh to bear 
without flinching. I staggered back with a suppressed cry of 
horror, and was upon the point of breaking into a mad flight, 
when the thought flashed through my mind that the door was 
securely fastened, and that there would be no danger in my 
taking another look at the terrible monster thus caged in this 
chamber. 

A great snake-like head was now lifted from beneath one 
edge of the mound, on the end of a long, swaying neck. Its 
great round eyes, big as an ox’s, stared with a dull, cold, glassy 
look from wall to wall, and then, with an awful outburst of 
hissing, the whole mound was suddenly raised upon four great 
legs, thick as posts, and ending in terrible claws, and borne 
rocking and swaying into the centre of the chamber. 

What was this terrible monster, and where had it come from ? 

Why, I saw through it all now at a glance. It was a gigantic 
tortoise, eight feet long by five wide, at least, and once an in- 
habitant of the upper world. Thousands and thousands of years 
ago, by the coming of the awful fields of ice, it had been forced 
to fly from certain death by crawling down into these under- 
ground caverns. Here, chilled and numbed by the dampness 
and cold, it had fallen asleep, and would have continued to 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


137 


sleep on for other ages to come, had not the industrious Formi- 
folk lighted the clusters of burning jets of gas in the monster’s 
bedroom. Gradually the warmth had penetrated the roof of shell 
made thicker by earth and layem of broken rock, which the 
tooth of time had dropped upon it, and reached his great heart, 
and set it beating again slowly, very slowly, but faster and 
faster, until he really felt that he had awakened from his long 
sleep. 

By a terrible misfortune. Pouting Lip, the gentle Soodopsy, 
had happened to be left behind when his brother laborers quit 
work, and the new silver doors of the chamber had been closed 
upon him. 

Oh, it was terrible to think of, but true it must have been — 
the poor little Soodopsy, shut in by his own eyeless folk in this 
chamber, which he was helping to beautify by his patient skill, 
had served to satisfy the hunger of this awful monster, after his 
long ages of fasting. 

But why, you ask, dear friends, was all this not discovered 
when the Great Circle had been formed, and the search was 
made for him ? Simply because the monster, after devouring 
the lost Soodopsy, retreated to his nest and drew the dirt and 
crumbled rock up around him with his gigantic flippei's, and 
went to sleep again, as all gorged reptiles do, so that when the 
searchers entered the new chamber all was as they had left it, 
the mound of rock, as they had supposed it to be, in the corner 
undisturbed. 

With Bulger at my heels I now turned and ran with such 
mad haste to Barrel Brow’s, that the whole city was thrown into 
the wildest disorder, for, of course, they had felt me fly past 
them. 

With all the quickness I could command, 1 wrote an account 
of what I had witnessed, and when Barrel Brow communicated 
it to the assembled Soodopsies, a thousand hands flew into the 
air, in token of mingled fright and wonder, and a wild rush was 
made for Bulger and me, and we were well-nigh smothered with 
kisses and caresses. 


138 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


The moment the excitement had quieted down a little, a 
Great Circle was immediately formed, and I was honored with 
a place in it, and when my tablet was passed about, a thousand 
hands made signs of assent. 

My plan was a simple one : it was to make a pipe connection 
between Uphaslok and the new chamber, and to turn the deadly 
vapor into the sleeping apartment of the gigantic monster. In 
this manner his despatch would be a happy one, merely a be- 
ginning of another one of his long naps, so far as he would 
know any thing about it. 

This was done at once, care first being taken to make the 
doors of the new chamber perfectly air tight. I was the first to 
enter the cavern after the execution of the monster, and found, 
to my delight, that my estimate of his length and width was 
correct almost to an inch. 

I always had a wonderful eye for dimension and distances. 

Seeing Bulger raising himself upon his hind legs, and make 
an effort to dislodge something from the wall, I drew near to 
assist him. 

Alas ! it was dear, gentle. Pouting Lip’s tablet. He had been 
writing upon it, and as the terrible monster advaneed upon him, 
he had reached up and hung it upon a silver pin on the wall. 
When the Soodopsies read what their poor brother had written, 
there they all sat down and wrung their hands in silent but 
awful grief : it ran as follows : — 

“ O my people ! why have ye abandoned me ? The air 
trembles ; th^ whole place is filled with suffocating odor. Must 
I die ? Alas, I fear it ! and yet I would so love to feel my dear 
ones’ touches once more ! The ground trembles ; a stifling breath 
is puffed into my face ; I am wearied, almost fainting, by trying 
to escape it. I can write no more. Don’t grieve too long over 
me. It was my fault. I stayed behind, when I should have 
followed. Oh, horrible, horrible ! Farewell ! I’m going now. 
A loving touch to all — farewell ! ” 

After waiting a few days for the grief of the Formifolk to 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 139 


lighten a little, I asked them to send a number of their most 
skilful workmen to assist me in removing the magnificent shell 
from the dead monster whose body was fed to the fishes. 

They not only did this, but they also offered to transform the 
shell into a beautiful boat for me, so 'that when I resolved to 
bid them adieu, I might sail away from the City of Silver and 
not be obliged to trudge along the Marble Highway. The 
work went on apace. At first the polishers began their task, 
and in a few days the mighty carapace glowed like a lady’s 
comb. Then the dainty and cunning craftsmen in silver began 
their part of the work, and ere many days the shell was fitted 
with a silver prow curiously wrought, like a swan’s neck and 
head, while quaintly carved trimmings ran here and there, and 
a dainty pair of silver sculls with a silver rudder, beautifully 
chased, from which ran two little silken ropes, were added to 
the outfit. I never had seen anything half so rich and rare, 
and I was as proud of it as a young king of his throne before 
he finds it is so much like my ship of shell. 

At last the day came when I was to bid the gentle Soodop- 
sies a long farewell. 

They lined the shore as Bulger and I proceeded to take our 
place in the bark of shell which sat upon the water like a thing 
of life. 

It was with a great show of dignity that Bulger took his 
position in the stern with the tiller-ropes in his mouth, ready to 
pull on either side as I might direct ; and setting the silver oars 
in place, I threw my weight upon them, and away we glided, 
swiftly and noiselessly, over the surface of the dark and sluggish 
stream. 

In a few moments nothing but a faint glimmer was left to 
remind us of the wonderful City of Silver, where the silent 
Formifolk live and love and labor without ever a thought that 
human beings could be any happier than they. Dear, happy 
folk, they have solved a mighty problem which we of the upper 
world are still struggling over. 


140 A AfA/iVELLO(/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXI 

HOW WE WERE LIGHTED ON OUR WAY DOWN THE DARK AND 
SILENT RIVER. — SUDDEN AND FIERCE ONSLAUGHT UPON OUR 
BEAUTIFUL BOAT OF SHELL. — A FIGHT FOR LIFE AGAINST 
TERRIBLE ODDS, AND HOW BULGER STOOD BY ME THROUGH 

IT ALL. COLD AIR AND LUMPS OF ICE. — OUR ENTRY INTO 

THE CAVERN WHENCE THEY CAME. — THE BOAT OF SHELL 
COMES TO THE END OF ITS VOYAGE. — SUNLIGHT IN THE WORLD 
WITHIN A WORLD, AND ALL ABOUT THE WONDERFUL WIN- 
DOW THROUGH WHICH IT POURED, AND THE MYSTERIOUS 
LAND IT LIGHTED. 

I DARE say, dear friends, that you are puzzling your brains 
to think out how it was possible for me to row away from the 
wonderful city of the Formifolk without running our boat con- 
tinually ashore. Ah, you forget that the keen-eyed Bulger was 
at the helm, and that it was not the first time that he had piloted 
me through darkness impenetrable to my eyes ; but more 
than this : I soon discovered that the plashing of my silver 
oars kept my little friends, the fire lizards, in a constant state 
of alarm, and although I couldn’t hear the crackling of their 
tails, yet the tiny flashes of light served to outline the shore 
admirably. So I pulled away with a will, and down this dark 
and silent river, for there was a current, although hardly per- 
ceptible, Bulger and I were borne along in the beautiful bark of 
tortoise shell with its prow of carved and burnished silver. 

During my sojourn in the Land of the Soodopsies I had one 
day, while calling upon the learned Barrel Brow, noticed a beauti- 
fully carved silver hand-lamp of the Pompeian pattern among 
his curiosities. I asked him if he knew what it was. He re- 
plied that he did, adding that it had doubtless been brought 
from the upper world by his people, and he begged me to accept 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 141 


it as a keepsake. I tlid so, and upon leaving the City of Silver, 
I filled it with fish-oil and fitted a silken wick to it. It was 
well that I had done so, for after a while the fire lizards dis- 
appeared entirely, and Bulger and 1 would have been left in 
total darkness, had I not drawn forth my beautiful silver lamp, 
lighted it, and suspended it from the beak of the silver swan 
which curved its graceful neck above the bow of our boat. 

After lying on my oars long enough to set some food before 
Bulger and partake of some myself, I again started on my 
voyage down the silent river, no longer shrouded in impene- 
trable gloom. 

1 had not taken over half a dozen strokes, when suddenly one 
of my oars was almost twisted out of my hand by a vicious tug, 
from some inhabitant of these dark and sluggish waters. I re- 
solved to quicken my stroke in order to escape another such a 
wrench, for the silver oars fashioned by the Soodopsies for me 
were of very delicate make, intended only for very gentle 
usage. Suddenly another vicious snap was made at my other 
oar; and this time the animal succeeded in retaining its hold, for 
I dared not attempt to wrench the oar out of its grip, for fear 
of breaking it. It was a large crustacean of the crab family, and 
its milk-white shell gave it a ghost-like look as it struggled 
about in the black waters, fiercely intent to keep its hold upon 
the oar. The next instant a similar creature had fastened firmly 
upon my other oar, and there I sat utterly helpless. But worse 
than this, the dark waters were now fairly alive with these 
white armored guards of this underworld stream, each apparently 
bent upon setting an immediate end to my progress through 
their domain. They now began a series of furious efforts to lay 
hold of the sides of my boat with their Imge claws, but happily 
its polished surface made this impossible for them to accomplish. 

Up to this moment Bulger had not stirred a muscle or uttered 
a sound, but now a sharp growl from him told me that some- 
thing serious had happened at his end of the boat. It was 
serious indeed, for several of tlie largest of the fierce crustaceans 


142 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


had laid hold of the rudder and were wrenching it from side to 
side as if to tear it off. Every attempt of course caused a tug 
at the tiller-ropes held between Bulger’s teeth; but, bracing 
himself firmly, he resisted their furious efforts as well as he 
could, and succeeded in saving the rudder for the time being. 

All of a sudden our frail bark of shell crashed into some sort 
of obstruction, and came to a dead standstill. Peering into the 
darkness, to my horror I saw that the wily enemy had spanned the 
river with chains made up of living links by each laying hold of 
his neighbor’s claw, the chain thus formed being then rendered 
almost as strong as steel by the interweaving of their double 
rows of small hooked legs. 

Our advance was not only blocked, but death, an awful death, 
seemed to be staring us in the face ; for what possible hope of 
escape could there be if Bulger and I should leap into the water, 
now alive with these fast swimming creatures, whirling their 
huge claws about in search for some way to get at us. From 
the brave manner in which Bulger was holding the madly 
swinging helm, I saw that he was determined not to surrender. 
But alas, bravery is but a sorry thing for two to fight a thousand 
with ! And yet I had not lost my head — don’t think that. 
True, I was hard pressed ; the very dust of the balance, if thicker 
on their side, might make my scale kick the beam. 

I had hauled both oars into the boat by reaching over and 
beating off the claws fastened upon them, and had up to this 
moment driven back every one of the fierce creatures which had 
succeeded in throwing one of his claws over the edge of the 
boat ; but now, to my horror, I felt that our little craft was being 
slowly but surely drawn stern first toward the river bank. In 
order to accomplish this, the crustaceans had thrown out a line 
composed of their bodies gripped together, and had made it fast 
to the rudder. Not an instant was to be lost I 

Once upon the river bank, the fierce creatures would swarm 
around us by the tens of thousands, drag us down, pinch us to 
death, and tear us piecemeal ! 



SAILING AWAY FROM THE LAND OF THE SOODOP9IES. 




A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


145 


An idea flashed upon me — it was this : it is folly to attempt 
to resist these countless swarms of crustaceans by the use of one 
pair of weak hands, even though they be aided by Bulger’s keen 
and willing teeth. We should, after a brief struggle, go down as 
the brave man in the sewer went down, when the famished rats 
leaped upon him from every side at once, or as the stray buffalo 
goes down when the pack of ravenous wolves closes up its circle 
about him. If I am to save my life, it must be by striking a blow 
that will reach every one of these small but fierce enemies at 
the same instant, and thus paralyze them, or, at least, bewilder 
them, until I can succeed in making my escape ! 

Quickly drawing my brace of pistols, I held their muzzles 
close to the water, and discharged them at the same instant. 
The effect was terrific. Like a crash of a terrible thunderbolt, 
the report burst forth and echoed through these vast and silent 
chambers, until it seemed as if the great vaulted roof of rock had 
by some awful convulsion of nature been cast roaring and rat- 
tling down upon the face of these black and sluggish waters ! 
When the smoke had cleared away, a strange but welcome sight 
met my gaze. Tens of thousands of the huge crabs floated life- 
less upon the surface of the river, with their shells split by the 
concussion the full length of their bodies. 

It proved to have been a masterly stroke on my part, and, dear 
friends, you will believe me when I tell you that I drew a deep 
breath as I set my silver oars against the thole-pins, and, having 
worked my boat clear of the swarms of stunned crustaceans, 
rowed away for dear life ! 

Dear life ! Ah, yes, dear life, for whose life is not dear to 
him, even though it be dark and gloomy at times ? Is there not 
always something, or some one, to live for ? Is there not always 
a glimmer of hope that the morrow’s sun will go up brighter 
than it did this morning ? Well, anyway, I repeat that I rowed 
away for dear life, while Bulger held the tiller-ropes and kept 
our frail bark of polished shell in the middle of the stream. 

Whether the air was actually colder, or whether it was merely 


146 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


the natural chill that so often strikes the human heart after it 
has been beating and throbbing with alternate hope and fear, I 
couldn’t say at the time ; but I knew this much, that I suddenly 
found myself suffering from the cold. 

For the first time since my descent into the World within a 
World, the air nipped my finger-tips; that soft, balmy, June-like 
atmosphere was gone, and I made haste to put on my fur-trimmed 
top-coat, which I had not made much use of lately. 

At that moment one of my oars struck against some hard 
substance floating in the waters. I put out my hand to feel of 
it. To my great surprise it proved to be a lump of ice, and 
very soon another and another went floating by us. 

We were most surely entering a region where it was cold 
enough to make ice. I was not sorry for this ; for, to tell the 
truth, Bulger and I were both beginning to feel the effects of our 
long sojourn in the rocky chambers of this under world, whose 
atmosphere, though soft and warm, yet lacked the elasticity of 
the open air. 

Ice caverns would be a complete change, and the cold air 
would, no doubt, send our blood tingling through our veins just 
as if we were out a-sleighing in the upper world on a winter’s 
night, when the stars twinkle over our heads and the snow 
crystals creak beneath our runners. 

Soon now huge icicles began to dot the roof of rock that 
spanned the river, and shafts and columns of ice dimly visible 
along the shore seemed to be standing there like silent sentries, 
watching our boat as it threaded its way through the ever-narrow- 
ing channel. And now, too, a faint glow of light reached us 
from I knew not where, so that by straining my eyes I could see 
that the river had taken a sweep, and entered a vast cavern with 
roof and walls of ice fretted and carved into fantastic depths and 
niches and shelves and cornices, with here and there shapes so 
fanciful that it seemed to me I had entered some vast hall of 
statuary, where hero and warrior, nymph and maiden, shepherd 
and bird-catcher, filled these shelves and niches in glorious array. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 147 


Farther advance by water was impossible, for the blocks of ice, 
knitted together like a floe, closed the river completely. I 
therefore determined to make a landing — draw my boat upon 
the shore, and continue my journey on foot. 

The mysterious light which up to this moment had shed its 
pale glimmer like an arctic night upon the roofs and walls 
of ice of these silent chambers now began to strengthen so that 
Bulger and I had no difiiculty in picking our way along the 
shore. In fact, we crossed and recrossed the river itself when 
the whim seized us, for it now went winding on ahead of us, like 
a broad ribbon of ice through caverns and corridoi’S. 

Suddenly I came to a halt and stood as motionless as the 
fantastic forms of ice surrounding me. What could it mean ? 
Were my eyes weakened by my long sojourn in the World with- 
in a World, playing me cruel tricks? Surely there can be no 
mistake ! I whispered to myself. That light yonder which 
pours its glorious effulgence upon those spires and pinnacles, 
those towers and turrets of ice, is the sunshine of the upper 
world ! Can it be that my marvellous underground journey is 
ended, that I stand upon the threshold of the upper world once 
more ? 

Bulger, too, recognizes this flood of sunshine, and breaking out 
into a fit of joyous barking, dashes on ahead, to be the first one to 
feel its gentle warmth after our long journey through the dark 
and silent passages of the World within a World. 

But I dare not trust my eyes, and fearing lest he should fall 
into some ambush or meet with some dread accident, I called 
him back to me. 

Together we hurry along as rapidly as possible. Now I note 
that we are drawing near to the end of the vast corridor through 
which we have been making our way for some time, and that 
we stand upon the portal of a mighty subterranean region 
lighted with real sunlight. It stretches away as far as the eye 
can reach, and so high is the roof that spans this vast under 
world that I cannot see whether it be of ice or not. All that I 


148 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


can see is that through one of its sloping sides there streams a 
mighty torrent of sunlight, which pours its splendor with un- 
stinting hand upon the wide highways, the broad terraces, the 
sheer parapets, and the sloping banks which diversify this ice 
world. Can it be that one side of this mighty mountain which 
nature has here hollowed out and set like a peaked roof over this 
vast subterranean region, is a gigantic window of ice itself through 
which the sunlight of the outer world streams in this grand way 
like a silent cataract of light, like a deluge of sunshine? No, 
this could not be ; for now upon a second look I saw that this 
flood of light thus streaming through the side of the mountain 
came through it like a mighty pencil of rays, and striking the 
opposite walls with its brilliancy a hundred-fold increased, re- 
bounded in a thousand directions, flooding the whole region 
with its effulgence and dying away in faint and pearl-like glimmer 
in the vast approach where I had first noted it. 

And therefore I understood that nature must have set a 
gigantic lens, twice a thousand feet or more in diameter, in the 
sloping side of this hollow mountain — a perfect lens of purest 
rock crystal, which, gathering in its mysterious bosom the sunlight 
of the outer world, threw it — intensely radiant and dazzling 
white — into the gloomy depths of this World within a World, so 
that when the sun went up out there, it went up in here as well, 
but became cold as it was beautiful, bringing no warmth, no other 
cheer save light, to this subterranean region which for thousands 
of centuries had lain locked in the crystal embrace of frozen 
lakes and brooks and rivers and torrents and waterfalls, once 
bubbling and flowing and rushing headlong through fair lands 
of the upper world, but suddenly checked in their course by 
some bursting forth of mighty pent-up forces, and turned 
downward into these icy depths condemned to everlasting rest 
and silence, their crystals locked in a sleep that never would 
know an awaking, mocked in their dreams by this mysterious 
sunlight that came with the smile and the fair, winsome look of 


A MAJiVELLOCrS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 149 


the real, and yet was so powerless to set them free as once it did 
when the springtime came in the upper world. All these 
thoughts and many others besides flitted through my mind as 
I stood looking up at that mighty lens in its setting of mightier 
rock. 

And so deeply impressed was I by the sight of such a great 
flood of sunlight pouring through this gigantic hull’s eye which 
nature had set in the rocky side of the hollow mountain peak 
and illumining this under world, that the longer I gazed upon 
the wonderful spectacle the more firmly inthralled my senses 
became by it. 

The deep silence, the deliciously pure air, the ever-varying 
tints of the light as the mighty ice columns acting the part of 
prisms, literally filled those vast chambers with the rainbow’s 
glorious glow, imparted unto the spell resting upon me such 
unearthly power that it might have held me there until my 
linrbs hardened into icy crystals and my eyes looked out with 
a frozen stare, had not the ever-watchful Bulger given a gentle 
tug at the skirt of my coat and aroused me from my inthralling 
meditation. 


160 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXII 

THE PALACE OF ICE IN THE GOLDEN SUNLIGHT, AND WHAT I 
IMAGINED IT MIGHT CONTAIN. — HOW WE WERE HALTED BY 
A COUPLE OF QUAINTLY CLAD SENTINELS. — THE KOLTY- 
KWERPS. — HIS FRIGID MAJESTY KING GELIDUS. — MORE 
ABOUT THE ICE PALACE, TOGETHER WITH A DESCRIPTION OF 
THE THONE-ROOM. — OUR RECEPTION BY THE KING AND HIS 
DAUGHTER SCHNEEBOULE. — BRIEF MENTION OF BULLIBRAIN, 
OR LORD HOT HEAD. 

Scarcely had I advanced a hundred yards beyond the portal 
where I had lialted when happening to turn my eyes to the 
other side, a sight met them which sent a thrill of wonder and 
delight through my form. There upon the highest terrace stood 
a palace of ice, its slender minarets, its high-lifted towers, its 
rounded turrets, its spacious platform, and its broad flights of 
steps all glittering in the sunlight as if gem-studded and jewel- 
set. 

It was a spectacle to stir the most indifferent heart, let alone 
one so full of ardor and buoyancy as mine. But ah, dear 
friends, even admitting that I can succeed in awakening in your 
minds even a faint conception of the beauty of this ice palace, as 
the sunlight fell full upon it at that moment, how caiiT ever 
hope to give you an idea of the unearthly beauty of this palace 
of ice and its glorious surroundings when the moon went up in 
the outer world at a later hour and its pale, mysterious light was 
poured through the mighty lens in the mountain side, and fell 
with celestial shimmer upon these walls of ice ? 

But the one thought that oppressed me now was : Can this 
beautiful abode be without a tenant, without a living soul within 
its wonderful halls and chambers? Or, may not its dwellers. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 151 


overtaken by the pitiless cold, sit with wide-opened eyes and 
icy glare, stark as marble in chairs of ice, white frosted hair 
pressed against icy cushions, and hands stiffened around crystal 
cups filled with frozen wine of topaz hue, while the harper’s 
fingers cling cramped to the wires stiff as the wires themselves, 
and the last tones of the singer’s voice lie in feathery crystals of 
frozen breath white at his feet ? 

Come what may, I resolved to lift the crystal knocker that 
might hang on the outer door of this palace of ice and awaken the 
castellan, if his slumber were not that of death. In a few 
moments I had crossed the level space between me and the first 
terrace, which it would be necessary for me to scale in order to 
reach the second and then the third upon which stood the palace 
of ice. 

Imagine my more than surprise upon finding myself now at 
the foot of a magnificent flight of steps, hewn into the ice with a 
master hand, and leading to the terrace above. 

Springing lightly up this flight with Bulger close at my heels, 
I suddenly set eyes upon two of the quaintest-looking human 
beings that I ever remembered seeing in all my travels. They 
looked for all the world like two big animated snowballs, being 
clad from top to toe in garments made of snow-white fleece, their 
skull-caps likewise of white fur, leaving only their faces visible. 
In his right hand each of them carried a very prettily shaped 
flint axe, mounted upon a helve of polished bone. 

Striding up to me and swinging their axes over my head in 
altogether too close proximity to my poll to be particularly 
pleasant, one of them cries out, — 

“ Halt, sir ! Unless his frigid Majesty Gelidus, King of the 
Koltykwerps, awaits thy coming, his guards will, at a signal 
from us, roll a few thousand tons of ice down upon thee if thou 
darest proceed another step. Therefore, stand fast and tell us 
who thou art and whether thou art expected.” 

“ Gentlemen,” said I, “ kindly lower those axes of yours and I 
will convince you that his frigid Majesty hath nothing to dread 


152 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


in me, for I am none other than the very small but very noble and 
very famous Sebastian von Troomp, commonly known as ‘ Little 
Baron Trump.’ 

“ Never heard of thee in all my life,” said both of the guards 
as with one voice. 

“ But I have of you, gentlemen,” I continued, — for now I rec- 
ollected what the learned Don Fum had said about the frozen 
land of the Koltykwerps, or Cold Bodies, — “ and as proof of my 
peaceful intent, like a true knight I now offer you my hand, 
and beg that you will conduct me into the presence of his frigid 
Majesty.” 

No sooner had the guard standing next me drawn off his glove 
and grasped my hand, than he let it loose again with a cry of 
fright. 

“ Zounds ! Man, art thou on fire ? Why, thy hand burned 
me like the flame of a lamp ! ” 

“ Why, no, my friend,” said I quietly ; “ that’s my ordinary 
temperature.” 

“ And thy companion ? ” 

“ Hath even a warmer heart than I have,” was my reply. 

“ Well, our word for it, little baron,” exclaimed one of the 
guards with a chuckle, “ there will be no place for thee except 
in the meat quarry. Possibly after thou hast been cooled off for 
a week or so, his frigid Majesty will be able to have thee 
about ! ” 

This was not a very cheerful prospect, for I had no particular 
desire to be laid away in the royal ice-box for a week or so. 
Anyway, the only thing to be done was to insist upon being con- 
ducted at once into the presence of the King of the Koltykwerps, 
and abide by his decision. 

One of the guards having saluted me by presenting his battle- 
axe in real military style, faced about and began to ascend the 
grand staircase with intent to announce my arrival to his frigid 
Majesty, while the other informed me that he would conduct me 
as far as the perron of the palace. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 153 


I was wonderstruck with the beauty of the three staircases 
leading up to the ice palace. Massive balustrades with curiously 
carved balusters springing from towering pedestals, crowned 
with beautiful lamps, all, all, I say, all and everything, to the 
crystal-clear sides of the lamps themselves, was fashioned 
from blocks of ice. It proved to be a good climb to the 
top of the third terrace, and I was not put out when the 
guard solemnly lowered his battle-axe of flint to bring me to 
a standstill. 

The sun in the upper world was, no doubt, nearing the horizon, 
for a deep and beautiful twilight suddenly sank upon the icy 
dominions of King Gelidus, and, to my surprise and delight, 
through the great slabs of crystal-clear ice which served for 
windows to the palace, streamed a soft radiance as if a thousand 
wax tapers were burning in the chambers and galleries in-doors. 
It was a sight to gladden the eyes of any mortal ; but if I had 
been spellbound by the beauty of its exterior, how shall I tell 
you, dear friends, of the curious splendor of the interior of Geli- 
dus’ palace of ice, as it burst upon me when I had crossed its 
threshold ? 

Hallway led into hallway, chamber opened into chamber, 
through portals gracefully arched, and winding staircases 
climbed to upper rooms, while hanging from lofty ceilings or 
resting on graceful pedestals, were a thousand alabaster lamps, 
shedding light and perfume upon this glorious home of his 
frigid Majesty Gelidus, King of the Koltykwerps. Long rows 
of retainers, all in snow-Avhite fur, lined the wide hallway, as 
the guards conducted Bulger and me into the palace and bowed 
in silence as we passed. 

To my more than wonder, I saw that the inner rooms were 
most sumptuously furnished, chairs and divans being scattered 
here and there, all covered with superb skins of white fur, while 
the floor, too, was carpeted with them, and as the soft radiance of 
the alabaster lamps fell upon these magnificent pelts and set ten 
thousand jewels in the walls and ceilings of ice, I was ready to 


154 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


admit that I had never seen anything half so beautiful. And yet 
I was still outside the throne-room of his frigid Majesty ! 

At length we came to one end of a broad hallway which 
seemed shut off from the rest of the palace by a wall thickly 
incrusted with strings of great diamonds, each as big as a goose- 
egg, extending from the ceiling to the floor, and turning back 
the shimmer of the lamps with such a flood of crystalline 
radiance that my eyes involuntarily closed before it. 

ddiink of my amazement when the two guards, laying hold of 
this wall of jewels, as I deemed it, drew it to the right and left 
till there was room for me to pass. What I had taken for a wall 
of jewels was but a curtain made up of round bits of ice strung 
upon strings and hanging like a shower of diamonds there before 
me, as they glittered in the light of the lamps each side of them. 

I now stood in the throne-room of his frigid Majesty, the 
King of the Koltykwerps. Now I realized that what I had seen 
elsewhere in his palace of ice was in reality but a sample of its 
magnificence, for here the splendor of King Gelidus’ castle 
burst upon me in its fullest strength. Imagine a great round 
chamber lighted with the soft flames of perfumed oil, streaming 
from a hundred alabaster lamps, the walls lined with broad 
divans covered with snow-white pelts, the floors thickly carpeted 
with the same glorious rugs, while on one side, glittering in the 
shimmer of the hundred massive lamps, stands the icy throne of 
the King of the Koltykwerps, decked with snow-white skins, and 
he upon it, with Schneeboule, his fair daughter, sitting at his 
feet, and all around and about him, group-wise, a hundred Kolty- 
kwerps, the king, the princess, and the courtiers all clad in skins 
whiter than the driven snow, and you, dear friends, will have 
some faint idea of the splendor of the scene which burst upon 
me as the two guards drew aside the strands of ice jewels at the 
end of the hallway in the palace of ice ! 

Like all his subjects. King Gelidus looked out through the 
round window of his fur hood, just as a big good-natured boy 
does through his skating-cap. 



THE BATTLE FOB LIFE WITH THE W 


^’IIITE CRABS. 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 157 


The Koltykwerps were not much taller than I, but were very 
stocky built, so that when broadened out by their thick fur suits 
they really took on at times the appearance of animated snow- 
balls. It would be hard for the fingers of the deftest hand to 
draw faces fuller of kindliness and good nature than those of 
the Koltykwerps. Their small, honest gray eyes sparkled with 
a boniform glint, and so broad were their smiles that they were 
only about half visible through the round holes of their fur 
hoods. I was delighted with them from the very start, and the 
more so when I heard King Gelidus cry out in a cheery voice : 
“ A right crisp and cold welcome to our icy court, little baron ; 
but from what our people tell us, thou earnest a pair of hands 
so hot that we beg thee to take a few days to cool off before 
thou touchest palms with any of the Koltykwerps, and we also 
beg thee to be careful and not to lean against any of our richly 
carved panels, or to slide down any of our highly polished rail- 
ings, or to handle the strands of our jewels, or sit down for 
any length of time on the front steps of our palace. And we 
make the same request of thy four-footed companion, who is said 
to be of even a warmer disposition than thou.” 

I bowed and kissed my hand to his frigid Majesty, and assured 
him that I should make every effort to lower my temperature 
as speedily as possible, and, in the mean time, that I should be 
extremely careful not to come into contact with any of the 
artistic carving of his palace of ice. 

As I pronounced these words, the whole comj)any began to 
clap their hands ; and as they did so, a cold shiver ran down my 
back, for there was a sound, methought. very much like the 
rattling of dry bones to that applause, but I took good care not 
to let King Gelidus notice my fright. 

His frigid Majesty now presented me to his daughter Schnee- 
boule, a pretty little maid of about sixteen crystal winters, with 
cheeks round as apples, and as deepl}' dimpled as the furrows of 
a cross-bun. Her eyes twinkled as she looked upon Bulger and 
me, and turning to her frigid papa, she asked for leave to touch 


158 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

the tip end of my tliumb, which being done, she gave a squeaky 
little scream and began to blow on her tiny finger as if I had 
blistered it. 

King Gelidus also presented me to several of his court 
favorites, all men of the coldest blood in the nation. Their 
names were Jellikin, Phrostyphiz, Icikul, and Glacierbhoy. 
They were all dreadfully slow thinkers when you questioned 
them very closely upon any subject; 

It didn’t take me very long to discover this. In fact, they 
requested me to be less warm in my manner, and not to ask 
them, any posers, as they invariably found that deej) thought 
caused a rise in their temperature. 

This was, to be honest about it, very annoying to me ; for you 
know, dear friends, what a loadstone my mind is, never asleep, 
always in a quiver like a mariner’s compass, pointing this way 
and that, in search of the polar star of wisdom. 

Upon making known my trouble to his frigid Majesty, King 
Gelidus, he most gracefully ordered one of his trusty attendants 
to conduct me to the triple walled ice-cell of a certain Kolty- 
kwerp by the name of Bullibrain, that is, literally, “ Boiling 
Brain,” a man who had been born with a hot head, and conse- 
quently with a very active brain. For fifty years King Gelidus 
had been doing his very best to refrigerate this subject of his, 
but without success. As I was just bursting with impatience to 
ask a whole string of questions concerning the Koltykwerps,you 
may imagine how delighted I was to make the acquaintance of 
Bullibrain, or Lord Hot Head as he was called among the 
Koltykwerps; but, dear friends, you must excuse me if I make 
this the end of a chapter and stop here for a brief rest. 


A MAJiVELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 159 


CHAPTER XXIII 

LC>RI) HOT HEAD AGAIN. AND THIS TIME A FULLER ACCOUNT 
OF HIM. — HIS WONDUOUS TALES CONCERNING THE KOLTY- 
KWERPS : WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHQ THEY WERE, AND 
HOW THEY MANAGED TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD OF ETER- 
NAL FROST. — THE MANY QUESTIONS I PUT TO HIM, AND HIS 
ANSWERS IN FULL. 

Lold Bullibrain was never allowed to set foot inside the 
palace of ice. King Gelidus, backed by the opinion of Ids 
favorites, still indulged the belief that he would be able in the 
end to refrigerate him. True, he had been many years at the 
task, so that it had now become a sort of hobby of his, and 
almost daily did his frigid Majesty pay a visit to his hot-headed 
subject and test his temperature by pressing a small ball of ice 
against his temples. To King Gelidus’ mind, a man of so high 
a temperature was a continual menace to the peace and quiet 
of his kingdom. What if Lord Hot Head in a dream should 
wander forth some night and fall asleep with his back against 
one of the walls of the ice palace ? Might he not melt away 
enough of it to throw the whole glorious fabric into a slump 
and slush of debris? It was terrible to think of, when he did 
think of it, and he thought of it quite often. 

But Bullibrain hiul no terrors forme, nor for Bulger either ; in 
fact, Bulger was delighted to be stroked by a warm hand, and he 
and Bullibrain and I soon became the very best of friends ; but 
his frigid Majesty was so alarmed when he heard of this friend- 
ship, that he was seized with quite a spasm of warmth, for, 
thought he, the united heat of three hot heads might work some 
terrible harm to tlie welfare of his people. So he issued the 
coldest kind of a decree carved on a tablet of ice, that Bullibrain 


160 A MAHVELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


and I should on no one day pass more than a lialf-hour to- 
gether ; that we should never touch palm to palm, sleep in the 
same room, eat from the same dish, or sit on the same divan. 

These regulations were annoying, but I followed them to the 
letter ; and when King Gelidus saw how careful I was to yield 
the strictest obedience to his decree, he conceived a genuine 
affection for me and sent several magnificent pelts to the ice- 
house, which had been assigned to Bulger and me, for, of course, 
it would not have been safe for us to lodge in the palace itself, 
but his frigid Majesty held out the flattering prospect that the 
very moment Bulger and I should become properly refrigerated, 
apaitments in the palace would be assigned to us, and, in fact, 
that I should be permitted to eat at the royal table. 

Who are the Koltykwerps ? Where did these strange folk 
come from? How did the}^ ever find their way down into this 
World of Eternal Frost? And, above all, where do they get 
their food and clothing from ? These were a few of the questions 
which I was so impatient to have answered that my tempera- 
ture was raised a whole degree, and I was obliged to sleep with 
only one single pelt between me and my divan of crystal ice. 

For a man bred and born in so cold a countr}^ as the land of 
the Koltykwerps, Bullibrain had an extremely quick and active 
mind. On account of his rapid heart-beat, and the consequent 
high temperature of his body, he was not able to do his writ- 
ing on slabs of ice as other learned Koltykwerps had done, for it 
would not have been a pleasant thing for him to see a poem 
which he had just finished literally melt away in his hands, 
without so much as leaving an ink-stain behind, so he had been 
obliged, with King Gelidus’ permission, to do his writing on 
thin tablets of alabaster. 

Jiefore he began to talk to me about the progenitors of the 
Koltykwerps, he showed me a map of the country in the upper 
world once inhabited by them, and traced for me the course they 
had sailed upon abandoning that country, and described the 
beautiful shores they had landed upon in their search for a new 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 161 


home. I saw at a glance that it was Greenland which Bulli- 
brain was thus unconsciously describing ; and knowing as I did 
that in past ages Greenland had been a land of blue skies, 
warm winds, green meadows, and fertile valleys, before moving 
mountains of ice came down from the North and crushed all 
life out of it, I listened with breathless interest to his wonderful 
tales of its beautiful lakes, nestled at the foot of vine-clad 
mountains, all of which Bullibrain now looked upon in fair 
visions inherited from his ancestors. And 1 also knew that it 
must have been the Arctic Ocean which had been traversed by 
the ships of the ‘Koltykwerps, who had then landed upon the, 
in those days, sunny shores of Northern Russia. 

But the mountains of ice could sail too, and they followed the 
fleeing Koltykwerps like mighty monsters, dashing themselves 
with terrible roar and crash upon the peaceful shores, which 
they soon transformed into a wilderness of berg, of glacier, and 
of floe. 

Only a handful of the Koltykwerps survived ; and these, in 
their dumb despair taking refuge in the clefts and caverns of the 
North Urals, could from their hiding-places look upon one of 
the strangest sights that had ever greeted human eyes. So 
rapid had been the advance of these mighty masses of ice, 
crashing against the mountain sides and rending the very rocks 
in their fury, that the air gave up its warmth, and the sun was 
powerless to give it back again. The animals of the wild wood 
and the beasts of the field, overtaken in their flight, perished as 
they ran and stood there stark and stiff, with heads uptossed 
and muscles knotted. Them by the thousaiuis and ten times 
thousands the crushed crystals of the pursuing floods caught 
up like moss and leaves in a mountain torrent and packed in 
every cave and cavern on the way, tearing broader and loftier 
portals into these subterranean chambers, so that they might do 
their work the better ! 

“ And these, then, O Bullibrain, are your meat quarries,” I 
exclaimed, “ whence ye draw your daily food ? ” 


162 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


“Even so, little baron,” replied the hot-headed Koltykwerp, 
“ and not only our food, but the skins which serve us so admir- 
ably for clothing in this cold, under ground world, and the oil, 
too, which burns in our beautiful alabaster lamps, besides a hun- 
dred other things, such as bone for helves and handles, horn for 
needles and buttons and eating utensils, wool for the weaving 
of our under-garments, and magnificent pelts of bear and seal 
and walrus, which, laid upon our benches and divans of crystal 
ice, transform them into beds and couches which even an 
inhabitant of thy world might envy.” 

“But, O Bullibrain,” I cried out, “have ye not almost ex- 
hausted these supplies ? Will not death from starvation soon 
stare ye all in the face in these deep and icy caverns of the under 
world, visited by the sun’s light yet un warmed by it ? ” 

“Nay, little baron,” answered Bullibrain with a smile almost 
as warm as one of my own ; “ let not that thought give thee a 
moment’s alarm, for we have as yet barely raised the lid of this 
ice-box of nature’s packing. We are not large eaters any way,” 
continued Lord Hot Head, “ for while it is true that we are not 
indolent people, for his frigid Majesty’s palace and our dwellings 
need constant repair, and new hatchets and axes must be chipped 
out in the flint quarries and new lamps carved and new garments 
woven, yet it is also true that we take life rather easy. We 
have no enemies to slay, no quarrels to settle, no gold to fight 
over, no land to drive our fellow-creatures from and fence in; 
nor can we be ill, if we were willing to be, for in this pure, cold, 
crisp air disease would try in vain to sow her poison germs ; 
hence, needing no doctors, we have none, as we have no lawyers 
either, or merchants to sell us what belongs to us already. 
His frigid Majesty is an excellent king. I never read of a better 
one. I doubt that his like exists in the upper world. Always 
cool headed, no thought of conquest, no dreams of power, no 
longings for empty pomp and show ever enter his mind. Since 
the day his father died and we set the great Koltykwerp crown 
of crystal ice upon his cool brow, his temperature has never 


A MAHVELLOl/S UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 163 

risen but a half a degree, and that was only for a brief hour or 
so, and was occasioned by a mad proposal of one of his council- 
lors, who claimed that he had discovered an explosive compound, 
something like the gunpowder of thy world, I fancy, by which 
he could shatter the glorious window of rock crystal set in the 
mountain dome of our under world and let in the warm sun- 
shine.” 

“ Did his frigid Majesty Gelidus put this daring Koltykwerp 
to death?” I asked. 

“ Oh, dear, no,” replied Bullibrain ; “he merely ordered him to 
be refrigerated for so many horn's a day until all his feverish 
projects had been chilled to death ; for no doubt, liftle baron, a 
man of thy deep learning knows full well that all the ills which 
thy world suffers from are the children of fevered brains, of 
minds made restless and visionary by the high temperature of the 
blood which gallops through the approaches to the dome of 
thought, stirring up wild dreams and visions as thy sun lifts the 
poisonous vapor from the stagnant pool.” 

The more I listened to Bullibrain the more I liked him. The 
fact of the matter is, I preferred to sit in his narrow cell with its 
plain walls of ice lighted up by a single alabaster lamp and con- 
verse with him to loitering in the splendid throne-room of his 
frigid Majesty King Gelidus; but Bulger had discovered that 
the pelts of Princess Schneeboule’s divan were much thicker, 
softer, and warmer than the single one allowed Lord Hot Head, 
and therefore he preferred spending his time with her; but fear- 
ing lest he might get into mischief, I didn’t dare to leave him 
alone with the princess too long at a time. 


164 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 

I 


CHAPTER XXIV 

SOME FEW THINGS CONCERNING THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS 
SCHNEEBOULE. — HOW SHE AND I BECAME FAST FRIENDS, 
AND HOW ONE DAY SHE CONDUCTED BULGER AND ME INTO 
HER FAVORITE GROTTO TO SEE THE LITTLE MAN WITH THE 
FROZEN SMILE. — SOMETHING ABOUT HIM. — WHAT CAME OF 
MY HAVING LOOKED UPON HIM QUITE FULLY DESCRIBED. 

At the time of Bulger’s and my arrival in the land of the 
Koltykwerps the Princess Schneeboule was about fifteen years 
of age, and I must say that rarely had it been my good fortune 
to make the acquaintance of such a sweet-tempered, lovable little 
creature. She flitted about the ice palace like a beam of sun- 
light, and there was nothing of the spoiled child about her, 
although a bit mischievous at times. 

Her voice was as full of music as a skylark’s, and it was not 
many days before she and I had become the best friends in the 
world. 

Now, you must know, dear friends, that according to the law 
of the Koltykwerps, a princess is left absolutely free to choose 
her own husband, and his frigid Majesty was very anxious that 
Schneeboule should pick hers out as soon as possible. Moreover, 
the law of the land gave her perfect freedom to choose a hus- 
band of high or low degree, provided he was young enough. 
The way in which a Koltykwerp princess was required to make 
known her preference was to press a kiss upon the cheek of the 
young man whom she might settle upon. This ennobled him at 
once, and he became the heir apparent to the throne of ice, and 
entitled to sit on its steps until he should be crowned king. 
Now, his frigid Majesty was delighted to see this friendship 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 165 


spring up between Schneeboule and me, for he hoped to make 
use of my influence to bring her to set the necessary kiss on 
some youth’s cheek before I took my departure from the cold 
Kingdom of the Koltykwerps. I gave him the word of a noble- 
man that I would do my best to carry out his wishes. 

With Schneeboule for a guide, Bulger and I often went for 
walks through the splendid ice grottos of her father’s kingdom, 
selecting days when the sunlight of the outer world poured 
strongest through the mighty lens set in the side of the moun- 
tain. Then these grottos took on a splendor that my poor 
tongue is powerless to describe. Their crystal mazes glittered 
as if their walls were set with massive jewels most wonderfully 
cut and polished, and as if their ceilings were fretted with gems 
so peerless that all the gold of the upper world would fall far 
short of paying for them. Here, there, and everywhere the skill 
of the Koltykwerps had carved and chiselled graceful flights of 
steps, broad landings with majestic columns, and winding corri- 
dors lined with long rows of statues, single and groupwise ; and 
ever and anon the visitor came upon a terrace where, seated upon 
a fur-covered divan, he might look out upon the bewildering 
beauty of King Gelidus’ icy domains, arch touching arch and 
dome springing from dome, while over and above all, through the 
gigantic lens in its granite setting, a mile above our heads, 
streamed a flood of glorious sunlight, lighting up this World 
within a World with a radiance so grand and so complete as to 
seem to be a sun of a far greater splendor than the one that 
warmed the upper world and bathed it in so many gorgeous hues 
at morn and eve. Hardly a day went by now that the princess 
of the Koltykwerps did not surprise either Bulger or me with 
some gift or other. 

To tell the truth, dear friends, although my Russian coat was 
fur-trimmed, yet I began to feel the need of warmer garments after 
a week’s sojourn in the icy domain of King Gelidus, and I think 
Schneeboule must have heard my teeth chattering, for one morn- 
ing, upon entering the Palace of Ice, I was delighted to be pre- 


166 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


sented with a full suit of fur precisely similar to the one worn 
by King Gelidus himself. 

Nor was Bulger forgotten by the loving little Princess, for 
with her own hands she had knitted him a blanket of the soft- 
est wool, which she belted so snugly around his body and 
tied so tightly around his neck that henceforth he felt per- 
fectly comfortable in the chill air of the home of the Kolty- 
kwerps. 

One day the Princess Schneeboule said to me^, — 

“ Oh, come, little baron, come to my favorite grotto, now that 
the sun’s rays are bright within it ; there shalt thou see a 
wonder.” 

“ A wonder. Princess Schneeboule ? ” 

“ Yes, little baron, a wonder,” she repeated : “ the Little Man 
with the Frozen Smile.” 

“Little Man with the Frozen Smile?” I echoed. 

“ Come and see, come and see, little baron ! ” cried Schnee- 
boule, hurrying on ahead. 

In a few moments we had reached the grotto and bounded 
into it with the Princess leading the way. 

Suddenly she halted in front of a magnificent block of crystal 
ice, clear as polished glass, and cried out, — 

“ There, look ! There is the Little Man with the Frozen 
Smile ! ” 

Even now, as the thought of that moment comes over me, I 
feel something of the thrill of half fear, half joy, as my eyes fell 
upon the little creature shut in that superb block of ice, himself 
a part of it, himself its heart, its contents, its mystery. There, 
in its centre, in easy posture, with wide opened eyes, and with 
what might be called a smile upon its face — that is a glint of 
kindliness and affection in its strange eyes with their overhang- 
ing brows, sat a small animal of the chimpanzee race. He had 
possibly been asleep when the icy flood struck him, dreaming of 
beautiful trees bending beneath purple fruit, of cloudless skies 
above and a coral beach below, and death had come to him so 



THE LITTLE MAN WITH THE FROZEN SMILE. 





A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 169 


quickly that he had become a brother to this block of ice while 
the happy di-eam was still in his thoughts. 

It was wonderful, it was more than wonderful ! Spellbound 
by the strange spectacle, I stood there, I know not how long, with 
my eyes looking into his. At last Schneeboule’s voice aroused 
me : 

“Ha! ha !” she laughed ; “ look, little baron, Bulger is try- 
ing to kiss his poor dead brother.” 

In truth, Bulger did have his nose pressed finnly against the 
block of ice in his effort to scent the strange animal imprisoned 
in that crystal cell — so near, and yet so far beyond the reach of 
his keen scent. 

“Well, little baron,” cried Schneeboule, “ did I not speak 
truly ? Have I not shown thee the Little Man with the F rozen 
Smile ? ” 

“ Indeed thou hast, fair princess,” was my reply ; “ and I cannot 
tell thee how grateful I am to thee for liaving done so.” 

Then, as she plucked me by the sleeve, I pleaded, “Nay, 
gentle Schneeboule, not yet, not yet, let me bide a bit longer. 
The Little Man with the Frozen Smile seems to beg me not to 
go. I can almost imagine that I hear him whisper : ‘ O little 
baron, break open the crystal cell of my prison and take me with 
thee back to the world of sunshine, back to the land of the 
orange-tree, where the soft warm winds used to rock me to sleep 
in the cradle of the swaying boughs, while the wise and watchful 
patriarch of our flock stood guard over us all.’ ” 

Schneeboule’s big, round, gray eyes filled with tears at these 
words. 

“ Would that he were alive, little baron,” she murmured, “and 
that I could give him some of my happiness to pay him back for 
all the long years he has been spending in his icy prison.” 

In a few moments Sclineeboule took me by the hand and led 
me away from the great block of ice with its silent prisoner. 
My heart was very heavy, and both Schneeboule and Bulger did 
their utmost to divert me, but all to no purpose. 


170 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Leaving tlie princess at the portal of the palace, I went to 
my dwelling which was ablaze with the soft glow of its alabas- 
ter lamps, and there I found a beautiful new pelt spread over 
my divan, a new gift from King Gelidus. But I could take no 
jdeasure in it. My thoughts were all with the Little Man with 
the Frozen Smile locked in the icy embrace of that crystal 
mould, which, in its cold irony, let him seem to be so free and 
unfettered and yet held him in such vise-like grip. After a while 
I dismissed my serving people and laid me down for the night 
with my dear Bulger nestled against my breast. But I could 
not sleep. All night long those strange eyes with their un- 
canny glint followed me about, pleading strong but silent for 
me to come again', for me to soften my heart like a child of the 
sunshine that I was, to shatter his crystal dungeon, and set him 
loose, to bear him away from the icy domain of the Koltykwerps 
out into the warm air of the upper world. What was I dream- 
ing about? Was he not dead? Had not his spirit left his body 
thousands and thousands of years ago ? Why should I let such 
wild thoughts vex my mind? What good would come of it? 
None, none whatever. I was a reasonable creature, I must not 
give lodgment within my brain to such silly ideas. 

The Little Man with the Frozen Smile had been, through al- 
most playful fate, laid away in a beautiful tomb. I must not 
disturb it. No doubt in his lifetime he had been the pet of 
a noble manor, brought to the Northland from some sunny 
clime by master of powerful argosy. Let him rest in peace. I 
must not dare to mar the beauty of his crystal tomb, so glori- 
ously transparent! 

I was even soriy that Schneeboule had led me into her beauti- 
ful grotto, and resolved to go thither no more. 

What poor weak creatures are we, so fertile in good resolu- 
tions and yet so unfruitfid of results, planting whole acres with 
fair promises, but when the tender shoots pierce the ground 
turning our back upon the crop as if it didn’t belong to us I 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


171 


CHAPTER XXV 

A SLEEPLESS NIGHT FOR BULGER AND ME AND WHAT FOL- 
LOWED IT. — INTERVIEW WITH KING GELIDUS. — MY REQUEST 
AND HIS REPLY. — WHAT ALL TOOK PLACE WHEN I LEARNED 
THAT THE KING AND HIS COUNCILLORS HAD DECIDED NOT TO 
GRANT MY REQUEST. — STRANGE TUIVIULT AMONG THE KOLTY- 
KWERPS, AND HOW HIS FRIGID MA.TESTY STILLED IT, AND 
SOME OTHER THINGS. 

Not only had I been unable to sleep, but by my tossing 
about I had kept poor dear Bulger awake so that when morning 
came we both looked haggard enough. I felt as if I had been 
through a fit of sickness, and no doubt he did too. At any rate 
I had no appetite for the heavy meat diet of the Koltykwerps, 
and seeing me refuse my breakfast, Bulger did likewise. 

I had promised Schneeboule to come early to the palace, for 
she had a number of questions which she wished to ask me con- 
cerning the upper world. 

“ Good-morning, little baron,” she cried in her sweetest tones 
as I entered the throne-room. “ Didst sleep well last night on 
the new pelt which papa sent thee?” I was about to make a 
reply when Schneeboule’s hand coming in contact with mine, — 
for we had both removed our gloves in order to shake hands, — 
she uttered a piercing scream, and drawing back stood there 
blowing her breath on her right palm as she exclaimed, again 
and again, — 

“ Firebrand ! Firebrand ! ” 

In an instant King Gelidus and a group of his councillors 
drew near, and, pulling over their gloves, one after the other 
laid his hand in mine. 

“Glowing coals ! ” cried his frigid Majesty. 


172 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


“ Tongue of flame ! ” roared Phrostyphiz. 

“ Boiling water ! ” groaned Glacierbhoy. 

“ Red hot ! ” hissed Icikul. 

'■'•Thou must leave the palace at once,” half pleaded King 
Gelidus. “It would simply he madness for me to permit such 
a firehrand to remain within the walls of the royal residence. 
The intense heat of thy body would be sure to melt a hole in its 
walls ere the sun goes down.” 

The royal councillors again drew off their gloves and laid 
hands upon poor Bulger, when a second alarm, even wilder than 
the first, was sent up and we were hastily escorted back to our 
lodging-house. 

No doubt, dear friends, you will be somewhat mystified upon 
reading these words, but the explanation is easy: Owing to 
worriment and lack of sleep, Bulger and I had awaked in a 
highly feverish condition, and to the Koltykwerps we had really 
seemed to be almost on fire, but our fever left us toward night ; 
hearing which. King Gelidus sent for us and did all in his power 
to entertain us with song and dance, in both of which, Schnee- 
boule was very skilled. Finding that his frigid Majesty was 
in such a rosy humor, if I may be allowed to speak that way of 
a person whose face was almost as white as the alabaster lamps 
over his head, I determined to ask him for permission to cleave 
asunder the icy cell of the Little Man with the Frozen Smile, 
and ascertain if possible from the collar, which, made up appar- 
ently of gold and silver coin was clasped around his neck, to 
whom he had belonged and where his home had been. 

No sooner had I preferred my request, than I noticed that the 
white face of the royal Gelidus parted with its smile and took 
tui a terribly icy look. 

Methought I could look through the tip of his nose as though 
an icicle, and methought, too, that his ears shone in the light of 
the alabaster lamps like sheets of crystal ice, and that his voice 
as he spoke puffed into my face like the first flakes of a coming 
snowstorm. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


173 


I quickly repented me of my rash action. But it was too 
late and I determined to stand by it. 

“ Little baron,” spoke royal Gelidus in icy tones, “ never a 
heart beat in a kingly breast that was purer and colder than 
mine, freer from the warmth of selfishness, with not a single 
liot corner for ire or anger to nestle in, or for weakness or folly 
to make their hiding-places. For thousands of years my 
people have inhabited this icy domain and breathed this pure 
cold air, and never yet hath one desired to strike an axe of flint 
into the walls of that crystal prison. However, little baron, 
there may be some warm corner in my heart wherein cold and 
limpid wisdom may not be at home. Therefore, come to me 
to-morrow for my answer, meanwhile I’ll take council with the 
coolest brains and coldest hearts about me. If they see no 
harm in thy request, thou mayst crack open the crystal gates 
that have for so many centuries shut the manlike creature in his 
silent cell, and take him forth in order to study the mystic words 
graven on his collar ; but upon the strict condition that in cleav- 
ing open his house of crystal my quarry men so apply their 
wedges of flint as to break the block into two equal pieces, 
that when thou hast read what may be there, the two parts be 
closed upon the little man again, edge fitting edge, like a per- 
fect mould, so exactly that to the eye no sign of line or joint be 
visible. Dost promise, little baron, that this shall be as to our 
royal will, it seems meet that it should be ? ” • 

I promised most solemnly that the crystal cell of the Little 
Man with the Frozen Smile should be opened and closed 
exactly as his frigid Majesty had directed. 

It would be hard for me to tell you, dear friends, how happy 
I went to rest that night upon my icy divan, and how as the 
tiny flame of my alabaster lamp shed its soft glow upon the 
walls of ice, I lay there turning over in my mind the strange 
and mysterious pleasure which was soon to fall to my lot when 
the quarry men of King Gelidus should set their wedges of flint 
in this glorious block of ice and cleave it asunder. 


174 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


Even Don Funi, Master of Masters, had never dreamed of 
receiving a message from the people who lived in the very 
childhood of the world, and in anticipation already I enjoyed 
the splendid trinmph which would be mine when I came to 
lecture before learned societies upon the mysterious lettering 
on the curious collar clasping the neck of the Little Man with 
the Frozen Smile. 

Imagine my anguish then, dear friends, upon receiving a mes- 
sage from King Gelidiis the next day that his councillors had 
with one voice decreed against the opening of the crystal prison 
which stood in Schneeboule’s grotto ! 

I was as if smitten with some sudden and awful ailment. I 
had never felt until that moment how keen the tooth of disap- 
pointment could be. I shivered first with a chill that made me 
brother to the Koltykwerps, and then I burned with a fever so 
raging that a wild rumor spread through Gelidus’ icy domain 
that I was setting fire to the very walls and roof. With wild 
outcries, and faces drawn with nameless dread, the subjects of 
Ins frigid Majesty rushed pell mell up the wide flights of stairs 
leading to the palace of ice, and pleaded for the king to show 
himself. 

In cold and frigid majesty, Gelidus walked out upon the plat- 
form and listened to the prayers of his people. 

“We shall burn,” they cried; “our beautiful homes will fall 
about our ears. These crystal steps will melt away, and all 
these fair columns and arches and statues and pedestals will 
turn to water and empty themselves into the lower caverns of 
the earth. The great window of our sky will fall with awful 
crash upon our heads, putting an end forever to this fair domain 
of crystal splendor. O Gelidus, haste thee, haste thee, ere it 
l)e too late, let the little baron have his way before bitter disap- 
pointment transforms his body and limbs into tongues of flame 
to lick up this magnificent palace in a single night, and dash its 
thousand alabaster lamps to the ground, a heap of sheards, no 
fragment matching its brother fragment, but all a wretched 
mass of worthless matter ! ” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


175 


King Gelidus and his frosty councillors saw that it would be 
useless to attempt to reason with the people, and therefore turn- 
ing toward them, he coldly waved his chilly right hand, and 
with an icy smile spoke frostily as follows, — 

“ Go, Koltykwerps to your homes, and he happy. What 
think you, have I a heated brain, doth my heart steam with fool- 
ishness, that you should think me capable of wishing harm to 
the tiniest Koltykwerp that spins his top of ice in my fair king- 
dom ? Go to your homes, I say ; the little baron is already cool- 
ing off, for he hath m3' full consent to cleave asunder the cr3'stal 
prison of the Little Man with the Frozen Smile. There is noth- 
to be frightened about, 1113' children. So eat hearty suppers and 
sleep soundl3^ to-niglit, for m3' ro3'al word for it, by to-morrow 
morning the little baron will cease to be the least bit dangerous 
to the peace and welfare of our 103”^ kingdom. A cold good-night 
to vou all.” 

In a short half hour the panic-stricken Kolt3"kwerps were all 
back in their homes again, and when a messenger came from 
King Gelidus to measure my temperature he found such a 
great improvement that he opened his chill3" heart and sent me 
a beautiful present from his treasure house, to wit : A small 
block of ice, clearer than any gem I had ever seen, in the heart 
of which la3' a glorious red rose in fullest bloom, each velvet 
petal opened out eagerl3'. Upon consulting my diar3' I found 
that it was just six months to a da3' since I had left Castle 
Trump and the loved ones sheltered b3' its time-worn tiles, and 
cold as was the covering of this thrice beautiful child of the 
upper world I clasped it to my breast and shed tears. 

And this was the wa3'’ it came about, dear friends, that King 
Gelidus and his frost3' councillors were brought to give their 
consent to m3' cleaving asunder the icy prison wherein la3' the 
Little Man with the Frozen Smile. 


176 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXVI 

HOW THE QUARRY MEN OF KING GELIDUS CLEFT ASUNDER THE 
CRYSTAL PRISON OF THE LITTLE MAN WITH THE FROZEN 
SMILE. — MY BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT, AND HOW I BORE 
IT. — WONDERFUL HAPPENINGS OF THE NIGHT THAT FOL- 
LOWED. — BULGER AGAIN PROVES HIMSELF TO BE AN ANI- 
MAL OF EXTRAORDINARY SAGACITY. 

Bulger and I had little appetite for the dainty breakfast of 
stewed sweetbreads which the Koltykwerps set before us the 
next morning, for I knew, and he half suspected, that something 
important was going to happen, being nothing less than the 
cleaving asunder of the crystal cell which had held the little 
chimpanzee a prisoner for so many centuries. 

Walking beside the merry Princess Schneeboule, who was 
delighted to know that his frigid Majesty, her father, had at 
last yielded to my wishes, Bulger and I set out for the beauti- 
ful ice grotto ; behind us walked Phrostyphiz and Glacierbhoy 
with instructions from the king to supervise the cleaving 
asunder of the block of ice ; and after them came four of King 
Gelidus’ quarry men, two bearing flint axes with helves of 
polished bone, and two carrying the flint wedges to be used in 
the work. 

We soon entered Schneeboule’s grotto, and the task was at 
once entered upon. 

It seemed to me I could almost see the Little Man Avith the 
Frozen Smile wink his eyelids as the quarry men set their 
wedges in place and began to mark the line of fracture ; but, of 
course, dear friends, you know what an imagination I have, 
especially when I get worked up over anything. So you must 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 177 


take what I say sometimes with a grain of salt, although as a 
rule, you may accept my statements with child-like confidence. 

With such wonderful skill did the Koltykwerpian quarry men 
use their axes and wedges that in a few moments, to my great 
delight, the huge block of ice fell asunder in perfect halves, in 
one of which the little manlike creature lay on his side like a 
casting in a mould. 

I made haste to lift him out and wrap him a soft pelt, which 
I had brought along for that purpose, and then I turned to 
retrace my steps to my chamber, where I intended to begin at 
once my study of whatever inscriptions should be found upon 
his curious collar. 

“ Remember little baron,” said Glacierbhoy, “ by express 
command of his frigid Majesty, the Little Man with the Frozen 
Smile must be returned to his crystal cell to-morrow morning at 
this very hour.” 

I bowed assent, and then, having accompanied Princess 
Schneeboule as far as the bottom of the grand staircase leading 
to the ice palace, I turned away and was soon in the privacy of 
my own apartment. 

Now came for me one of the bitterest disappointments of my 
life ; but I submitted with a good grace, for it was fit punish- 
ment visited upon me for my foolish vanity in striving to un- 
earth some older record of the human race than had yet been 
done by any of the great searchers and philosophers, not even 
excepting that Master of Masters, Don Strephalofidgeguanerius- 
fum ! 

Know then, dear friends, that the quaint collar, made up of 
gold and silver coins, or disks, cunningly linked together, which 
encircled the animal’s neck, contained not a single word or 
letter of any language, the undersides being quite blank, and 
the upper merely having roughly carved outlines of an object 
which might possibly have been intended for the sun. 

Wrapping the animal up in the soft pelt, I laid him away in 
a corner of my divan and betook myself to the palace of his 


178 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


frigid Majesty, where I frankly informed King Gelidus of my 
great disappointment in not finding some few words or even a 
single word of a language unknown to the wisest heads of the 
upper world. 

Schneeboule was so touched by my sadness that, had I not 
skilfully kept out of her way, I verily believe she would have 
thrown her arms around my neck and imprinted upon my cheek 
the kiss which would have made me the king of the Kolty- 
kwerps; but I had no longing to spend the rest of my life in 
the icy domains of his frigid Majesty, even though my brow 
would be crowned with the cold crown of the Koltykwerps. If 
1 had been an old man, with slow and feeble pulse, it would 
have been very different ; but my heart was too warm and my 
blood too hot to fill such a position with agreeableness to myself 
or satisfaction to the people of this icy under world. So I kept 
the little princess busy enough, I can assure you, first with songs, 
then with dance, and then with story-telling. 

That night King Gelidus ordered a magnificent fete to be held 
in my honor. Five hundred more alabaster lamps were lighted, 
and the royal divans were laid with the richest pelts in the pal- 
ace, and after the dancing and singing had ended, frozen tidbits 
from the royal kitchen were passed around on alabaster salvers, 
and Bulger and I ate until our teeth ached. 

It was late when we reached our own apartment, and so full 
were my thoughts of the beautiful sights which we had gazed 
upon in the throne-room, that I had quite forgotten about the 
poor Little Man with the Frozen Smile whom I had covered up 
and tucked away on my divan ; but Bulger had not been so 
hard-hearted. 

Twenty times during the evening he had given me a sly tug 
at my sleeve as much as to say, — 

“ Come, little master, let’s hurry back ; dost not remember 
that we left* my poor little frozen brother tucked away in that 
icy chamber all alone by himself?” I was very weary and I fell 
olf to sleep almost immediately, and yet I had an indistinct rec- 



BULGER SHOWS THE BARON SOMETHING WONDERFUL. 




A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


181 


ollection that Bulger was not in his place against my breast. 
I remembered feeling for him, but that’s all. It never flashed 
upon me that he had gone and lain down beside the poor little 
stranger, whom I had so unfeelingly lifted from his last resting- 
place, and yet such must have been the case, for about midnight, 
it seemed to me, I was awakened by a gentle tugging at my sleeve. 

It was my faithful Bulger, but, half awake and half asleep as 
I was, I merely thought that he was only asking for a caress, as 
was often his wont when he fell a-thinking about home, so I 
reached out and stroked his head several times and dropped off 
again. 

But the tugging began anew, and this time ’twas more vigor- 
ous and with it came an impatient whine which meant, — 

“ Come, come, little master, rouse thee ; dost suppose I would 
break thy rest unless there were good reasons for it?” I didn’t 
need a third reminder, but with a single bound landed on my feet, 
and reaching out for one of the tiny tapers which the Koltykwerps 
make use of as lighters, I carried the flames from the single lamp 
burning on the wall to the three others hanging here and there. 

The icy walls of my chamber were now ablaze with light. 
There sat Bulger on the fur-covered divan, beside the place 
where the Little Man with the Frozen Smile lay hidden under 
the pelt. His tail was wagging nervously, and his large, lus- 
trous eyes were fixed first upon me and then upon the covering 
of his dead brother with an expression I never remembered hav- 
ing seen in them before, and then with a sudden movement he 
laid hold of the pelt and, drawing it aside, showed me, what 
think you, dear friends, what, I ask in a tone half whisper, half 
gasp, for now years after I still can feel that wonderful thrill 
which I felt then ? Why, it was alive ! That ape-like creature 
had come to life after his sleep of thousands of years in that 
narrow, crystal cell ! Bulger had lain down beside his frozen 
brother and warmed him back to life again ! 

Oh, it was wondrously wonderful to see that pair of little 
eyes, beadlike in brightness, look up and blink at me ; and then 


182 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


to hear that low, moaning voice, so human-like, as if it whim- 
pered, with a shake and a shiver, — 

“ Oh, how cold it is ! how very cold it is ! Where’s the 
sun ? Where’s the soft warm wind, and where are the cloudless 
skies so blue, oh so beautifully blue, that used to hang over my 
head ? ” 

Bidding Bulger lie down again beside him and snuggle up as 
close as possible, I made haste to cover them both with the 
softest skins I could find. 

In a few moments there came from underneath the pile a low, 
contented cry of “ Coojah ! Coojah ! Coojah ! ” followed by a 
curious addition sounding like “ Fuff ! Fuff ! Fuff ! ” so I put 
them all together and named the strange new comer to the icy 
domain of King Gelidus — F uffcoojah I 

Sleep any more that night? Not a wink. The same joy 
came over me that I used to feel on Christmas morning long 
ago when Kris Kringle brought me some wonderful bit of 
mechanism moved by a secret spring — for I always scorned to 
accept ordinary toys like ordinary children ; and oh, how I 
longed for the morning, when it would be time for me to bundle 
up the Little Man — no longer him with the Frozen Smile, but 
Fuffcoojah, the Live Boy from Faraway, with his curious little 
face screwed up into such a funny look — and carry him to the 
palace. 

How delighted Schneeboule will be I thought I, and King 
Gelidus too, how he will unbend from his frigid majesty as he 
watches the antics of Fuffcoojah, and how pleased all the digni- 
fied Koltykwerpians, including even Phrostyphiz and Glacier- 
bhoy, will be when I tell them that the Little Man with the 
Frozen Smile has come to life again ! 

What crowds of Koltykwerps, men, women and children, will 
rush up the long flights of steps leading to the Ice Palace, beg- 
ging and entreating King Gelidus to let them have just a little 
look at Fuffcoojah, the little man set free from his icy cell by 
the famous traveller, Baron Sebastian von Troomp ! 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 183 


CHAPTER XXVII 

EXCITEMENT OVER FUFFCOOJAH. — I CARRY HIM TO THE COURT 
OF KING GELIDUS. — HIS INSTANT AFFECTION FOR PRINCESS 
SCHNEEBOULE. — I AM ACCUSED OF EXERCISING THE BLACK 
ART. — MY DEFENCE AND MY REWARD. — ANXIETY OF THE 
KOLTYKWERPS LEST FUFFCOOJAH PERISH OF HUNGER. — 
THIS CALAMITY AVERTED, ANOTHER STARES US IN THE 
FACE : HOW TO KEEP HIM FROM FREEZING TO DEATH. — I 
SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT DRAW UPON ME A STRANGE 
MISFORTUNE. 

It all turned out just as I had thought it would! The mo- 
ment it became known that the Little Man with the Frozen 
Smile had actually come to life, the wildest excitement prevailed 
in every part of the icy domain of his frigid Majesty. I was 
astounded at the change in the actions of the Koltykwerps. 
They moved more quickly, they talked faster, they made more 
gestures than I had ever seen them do before. In some cases, 
you will hardly believe it, dear friends, I actually noticed a 
faint glow in the cold cheeks of a few of them. 

I had hoped to be able to bundle Fuffcoojah up warmly and 
make my escape to the ice palace before the people learned of 
his coming to life, but in vain. When I made my appearance 
at the door, there was a large crowd of Koltykwerps pushing 
and pulling in front of my quarters. 

Most of them were good-natured, and cried out, — 

“ Show him to us, little baron, show us the Little Man with 
the Frozen Smile whom thou hast brought to life. Let us look 
upon his face ! ” 

“ Nay, nay, Koltykwerps ! ” I exclaimed, “ it must not be ! 


184 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


His frigid Majesty must be the first to look upon Fuffcoojah’s 
face. Room, room for the noble guest of royal Gelidus ! In 
the name of his frigid Majesty give way and let me pass ! ” 

The Koltykwerps showed no inclination to obey. To such a 
pitch of excitement had they worked themselves up that only 
upon seeing Bulger advance upon them with flashing eye and 
teeth laid bare, did they reach the conclusion that my brave 
companion was in no mood to be trifled with. 

Thwarted in their wild desire to get a peep at F ufEcoojah, the 
Koltykwerps now began to rail at me as I passed them, by on 
my way to the ice palace. 

“ Oho, Master magician ! Ha, ha. Prince of the Black Art ! 
Boo, boo, little wizard ! Have a care, wily necromancer, see to 
it that thou dost not practise any of thy tricks of enchantment 
upon us ! ” I was glad when the axe-bearer saw my plight and 
hurried forward to extricate me from the crowd of angry people. 

King Gelidus met me at the portal of his ice palace, and at 
his heels came Princess Schneeboule, who could hardly wait for 
her turn to take a look at the curious living creature which I 
unwrapped just enough to let her see its nose. 

The instant F uffcoojah set eyes upon the sweet face of the 
Koltykwerpian princess, he stretched out his little arm as a 
child might to its mother. This sudden show of affection 
caused Schneeboule the liveliest pleasure, and quickly drawing 
off one of her gloves she reached out and stroked the animal’s 
head, but at the touch of those, to him, icy little fingers he uttered 
a low wail and drew back underneath the warm pelt in which he 
was snugly wrapped. 

Poor Schneeboule ! she gave a sigh as she saw him do this, 
but it didn’t prevent her from coming every minute or so and 
lifting one end of the pelt just enough to take another look at 
Fuffcoojah, who, while he never failed to cuddle up closer to me 
at sight of the princess, yet invariably thrust out one of his 
black paws from under the pelt for Schneeboule to shake. 
While seated on the divan nearest the throne, I observed that 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 185 


Phrostyphiz and Glacierbhoy were holding a whispered con- 
ference with his frigid Majesty. At once I guessed the subject 
of their conversation. 

Rising to my feet, I made a sign that I wished to address the 
king, and when he had nodded his head with stern and icy 
dignity, I began to speak. You know, dear friends, how elo- 
quent I can be when the mood is upon me. Well, standing there 
almost upon the steps of King Gelidus’ throne of ice, I proceeded 
to defend myself against the charge of being a master of the 
black art. I will not tell you all I said, but this was my ending : 

“ May it please your frigid Majesty ! 

“ Here beside me stands the only magician in the case, and the 
only art, the only trick or charm which was exercised by him 
was that sweet power we call love. When first he set eyes upon 
his four-footed brother locked in the crystal cell of Schneeboule’s 
Grotto, he pressed his nose again and again against its icy wall 
in vain attempt fo know his kinsman, and turned away with a 
cry of sorrow to find that his keen scent could not penetrate to 
him. I cannot tell you how great was his joy when I laid Fuft- 
coojah stiff and stark upon my divan, for I knew not then the 
scheme ripening in Bulger’s mind. But later, all was plain 
enough. The loving dog leaves his master’s breast and carries 
his true and tender heart over to where Fuffcoojah lies, raises 
the pelt, crawls in beside him, and presses his warm breast firm 
and hard against his brother’s ice-locked heart, and warms him 
into life again, then wakes me and tells me what he hath done. 

“ This, Royal Gelidus and most noble Koltykwerps, is the only 
art that hath been used to bring Fuffcoojah back to life again, 
and to call it black is to slander tlie sunsliine, rail at the lily, and 
call the sweet breath of heaven a vile and detestable thing ! ” 

When I had ended my speech I saw that Schneeboule had 
been weeping, and that several of her tears stopped in their course 
down her cheeks hung there sparkling like tiny diamonds in the 
soft light of the alabaster lamps, where the chill air of Gelidus’ 
palace had turned them into ice. 


186 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


And therefore when his frigid Majesty said that my words 
liad touched his heart, and bade me ask for a gift from his hand, 
I said, — 

“ O cold king of this fair icy domain, let those tears that now 
hang like tiny jewels on Schneeboule’s cheeks be brushed into an 
alabaster box and given to me. I covet no other guerdon ! ” 

“ Even if I did not love thee, little baron,” cried King Gelidus 
with an icy smile, “ I would be persuaded ; but loving makes 
easy believing. Go, Phrostyphiz, and bid one of the princess’s 
Avomen brush those tiny jewels that hang on Schneeboule’s 
cheek into an alabaster cup and bestow them upon the little 
baron.” 

Scarcely had this been done when Fuffcoojah thrust his head 
out from under the pelt and, fixing his eyes pleadingly upon me, 
thrust out his tongue and opened and shut his mouth with a 
faint, smacking noise. Quick as a flash it dawned upon me that 
these signs meant that F uflfcoojah was hungry } 

And then, as I suddenly remembered that the Koltykwerps 
were strictly a meaGeating people, that only meat was to be 
had in their chill domain, quarried almost like marble itself from 
nature’s great refrigerators, a gasp escaped my lips, and I 
whispered, — 

“ Oh, he must die ! He must die ! ” My words had not miss- 
ed the keen ears of Princess Schneeboule. 

“ Speak, little baron,” she cried, “ why, why, must little Fuff- 
cojah die ? What dost mean by such a saying ? ” And when 
King Gelidus and Schneeboule had heard me voice my fear that 
he would die rather than feed on meat, they both became very 
heavy-hearted. 

“Poor little Fuffcoojah!” moaned the princess, “can it be 
possible that he must be carried back so soon to his crystal cell 
in my grotto ? ” 

“ Bid the master of my meat quarries approach the throne,” 
cried King Gelidus suddenly, in a voice of icy dignity. 

This important functionary soon made his appearance. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 187 


Turning to me, the king bade me explain the case to him. 
This I did in a few words, when, to the great joy of all present 
the master of the meat quarries spoke as follows : — 

“ Little baron, if that’s the only trouble, give thyself no fur- 
ther uneasiness, for I shall at once send one of my men to thee 
with a supply of most delicious nuts.” 

“Delicious nuts?” I repeated in a tone of amazement. 

“ Why, yes, little baron, I have a goodl}'^ supply on hand. 
Know, then, that hardly a day goes by that my men don’t come 
upon some fine specimen of the family of gnawers, most gener- 
ally squirrels, in whose cheek-pouches we invariably find from 
one to half a dozen dainty nuts stowed away. It has always 
been my custom to lay these aside, and so I have to inform thee 
that if Fuffcoojah should live to be a hundred years old I or my 
successor could guarantee to keep Ifim supplied with food.” 

These Avords lifted a terrible load off my heart, for now, at 
least, Fuffcoojah would not die of starvation. 

For a few days everything went well. The Koltykwerps 
became quite satisfied in their own minds that I had not been 
practising the black art in the chilly kingdom of his frigid 
Majesty, and each and every one of them became greatly at- 
tached to the curious little creature with the droll little face 
and droller manner. 

But it seemed as if we were no sooner out of one trouble 
than we were plumped into another, for now Fuffcoojah began 
to object to the attendant selected to look after him by King 
Gelidus. 

The man was about ten degrees too cold-blooded for him, and 
ere long it was only necessar}^ for the Koltykwerp to approach 
Fuff, — as we called him for short, — in order to throw him 
into convulsions of shivering and to cause him to utter pitiable 
cries of discontent, which only ceased upon my appearing and 
comforting him by my caresses. 

I now set to work to devise some way to make Fuff’s life 
more agreeable to him, for everybody seemed to hold me re- 


188 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


sponsible for his well being. Ten times a day came messengers 
from King Gelidus or from Princess Schneeboule to ask how he 
was getting on, and whether we were keeping him warm enough, 
whether he had all he wanted to eat, whether he had pelts 
enough on his bed. Nor was it an unusual thing to have a 
score or more Koltykwerpian mothers call at my quarters dur- 
ing a single day with advice enough to last a month, and there- 
fore was it that, with a view to providing him with a warmer 
room to sleep in, I ordered a divan fitted up for him in a smaller 
chamber opening into mine, upon the walls of which I directed 
half a dozen of the largest lamps to be hung. 

The consequence was that the walls began to melt, hearing of 
which, consternation spread throughout the icy domain of his 
frigid Majesty, for to the mind of a Koltykwerp heat powerful 
enough to melt ice was something terrible. It was like the 
dread of earthquake shock to us, or the fear of flood or flame. 
It was something that filled their hearts with such terror that 
in their dreams they saw the solid walls of the ice palace melt 
asunder and fall with a crash. They could not bear it, and so 
King Gelidus put forth the decree that if there were no other 
way to keep Fuffcoojah alive, then must he die. 

Hearing this, an awful grief came upon poor Schneeboule’s 
heart, for she had learned to love little Fuff very dearly, and it 
set a knife in her breast to think of losing him. 

“ Never, never,” she cried, “ shall I be able to set foot within 
my grotto if Fuffcoojah is put back into his crystal prison 
again, with his frozen smile on his face as once used to be.” 
And seeking out her royal father she threw herself at his knees 
and spoke as follows : — 

“ O heart of ice ! O frigid Majesty, let not thy child die 
of grief. There is an easy way out of all our trouble with dear 
little Fuffcoojah.” 

“ Speak, beloved Schneeboule,” answered King Gelidus, “ let 
me hear what it is.” 

“Why, cold heart,” said the princess, “the little baron hath 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


189 


plenty of warmth stored away in his body, he hath enough for 
both himself and Fuffcoojah into the bargain. Therefore, 
frigid father, command that a deep, warm hood be made to the 
little baron’s coat, and that Fuffcoojah be placed therein and 
be borne about by the little baron wherever he goeth. He will 
soon grow accustomed to the slender burden and note it no 
more.” 

“ It shall be as thou wishest,” replied the king of the Kolty- 
kwerps ; and calling his trusty councillor, Glacierbhoy, he 
directed him to summon me at once to the throne-room. When 
I heard this terrible order issue from the icy lips of King 
Gelidus my heart sank within me, and yet I dared not disobey, 
I dared not murmur, for I it was who had cleft asunder the 
crystal prison of the Little Man with the Frozen Smile ; 1 who 
had made it possible for Bulger to warm him back to life again. 
Oh, poor, vain, weak, foolish boy that I had been, what was to 
become of me now ? 


190 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXVIII 

HOW A LITTLE BURDEN MAY GROW TO BE A GRIEVOUS ONE. 
— STORY OF A MAN WITH A MONKEY IN HIS HOOD. — MY 
TERRIBLE SUFFERING. — CONCERNING THE AWFUL PANIC 
THAT SEIZED UPON THE KOLTYKWERPS. — MY VISIT TO THE 
DESERTED ICE-PALACE, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO FUFF- 
COOJAH. — END OF HIS BRIEF BUT STRANGE CAREER. — A 
FROZEN KISS ON A BLADE OF HORN, OR HOW SCHNEEBOULE 
CHOSE A HUSBAND. 

Ah, little princess, how easy was it for thee to say that I 
would soon grow accustomed to the slender burden and note it 
no more ? How prone are we to call light the burdens which 
we lay upon the shoulders of others for our own benefit? True, 
F uffcoojah was not as long as a horse, nor as broad as an ox, and 
when in accordance with the king’s decree the hood had been 
completed and the little animal was stowed away therein, close 
against my back so as to get a goodly share of the warmth of 
my body, it seemed to me that Schneeboule was right, that I 
would soon become accustomed to the load and note it no more. 
And so it seemed the second and the third day, but not on the 
fourth ; for on that day the little load appeared to have gained 
somewhat in weight, and although I was quick to feign that it 
was not so when Princess Schneeboule quizzed me saying, — 

“ There, little baron, did I not tell thee that thou wouldst 
soon forget that Fuffcoojah slept upon thy shoulders?” yet in 
my heart I felt that he really had grown a mite heavier. 

On the fifth day Bulger and I were bidden to a merry-making 
at the palace of ice, and as I rose from my divan to betake me 
thither, methought I was strangely heavy-hearted, and so did 



THE BAUON’S FLIGHT TO THE ICE PALACE. 









9 





1 


9 




i 


I 






■ 



4 

i 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 193 


Bulger, for he made several efforts to draw a smile, or a cheery 
tone, from me, but in vain. 

Suddenly I realized that there was a weight pressing against 
my back, no, not a heavy weight, but a weight all the same, and 
then I whispered to myself, “ Why, if I am going to a merry- 
making, I’ll cast it off ! ” and then I wakened from my deep 
abstraction and murmured, — 

“ How strange that I should have forgotten that Fuffcoojah 
was in my hood ? ” And so I went to the merry-making with 
Fuffcoojah nestled between my shoulders, and the Koltykwerps 
laughed at the little baron and his child, as they called him, and 
drew near and raised the flap and peeped in at the curious crea- 
ture within the hood, and when F uffcoojah felt their icy breaths, 
he buried his nose in the fur and sighed and whimpered. Then, 
for a moment, when the Princess Schneeboule came and sat beside 
me and praised me for my readiness to carry out her wishes, and 
thanked me so sweetly for my goodness to her, I forgot all about 
the little load laid upon me, and I ate the fi-ozen tidbits from the 
royal kitchen, and laughed and joked with Lords Phrostyphiz 
and Glacierbhoy, just as had been my wont before Gelidus had 
decreed that Fuffcoojah should make his bed on my shoulders. 

But when the fete was over and I stepped from the broad por- 
tal of the ice-palace and looked up at the mighty lens set in the 
mountain side, through which the moonlight of the outer world 
was streaming in subdued but glorious splendor, I suddenly felt 
my legs bend under me, I staggered from right to left, I clutched 
at shadows, I was, it seemed to me, about to be crushed beneath 
a terrible burden. I quickened my pace, I broke into a run, I 
threw my arms into the air as if I would cast off the weight that 
was smothering me. And so I came to my lodging puffing, 
panting, gasping. 

“ Why, what a fool am I ! ” was my flrst word when I had 
got my breath ; “ it’s only little Fuffcoojah on my back, stowed 
away in my fur hood. I must be beside myself to have thought 
that a great monster was seated there and that he was gradually 


194 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


pressing me down, crushing the life out of me by degrees, flat- 
tening me to the very ground, and I not able to escape from his 
terrible embrace or to squirm out from under his awful limbs 
wrapt around my neck and body ! ” 

All night long this monster was clinging to me, and urging 
me to a faster pace, up and down, across and around, I knew not 
where, on bootless errands, ending only to begin again, on searches 
after nothing hidden nowhere, trying a thousand lids and finding 
every one locked, returning home only to go forth again, up and 
away and out on interminable highways vanishing in a point far 
on ahead, with that grievous burden forever on my shoulders 
growing heavier and heavier, till it seemed that I must go down 
with it into the dust. But no, it knew full well that it must 
not ride me to the death, so when I was ready to drop, it threw 
off part of its weight to give me courage to begin again. When 
the morning came my pulse was galloping and my cheeks were 
on fire. I could feel the blood pounding against my temples, 
and it was natural that my face should be crimsoned over with 
the flush of fever. Half in a daze I walked forth toward the 
grand staircase leading up to the ice palace, when suddenly I 
was startled by a fearful scream. I halted and looked up, when 
another and another burst upon my ears. 

The terrified Koltykwerps were fleeing before me in every 
direction, shrieking as they fled, — 

“ Fly, fly, brothers, the little br.ron is burning, the little baron 
is burning, fly, brothers, fly ! ” 

In a few moments terror had seized upon every living 
creature in the icy domain of King Gelidus. They fled from 
me in mad haste, taking refuge in the distant caverns and cor- 
ridors, filling the air with their wild outcries, no one being brave 
enough to halt and take a second look. My inflamed counte- 
nance filled them with such awful terror that they could only 
tear along and cry, — 

“ Fly, brothers, fly ; the little baron is burning, the little baron 
is burning ! ” 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 195 


With Bulger at my heels, I turned and sprang up the stair- 
case with the intention of seeking out King Gelidus, and ex- 
plaining the matter to him. 

But he, too, had fled, and with him every sentinel and serv- 
ing man, every courtier and councillor. The palace was as still 
as death. I hastened through its silent corridors calling out, — 
“ Schneeboule ! Princess Schneeboule ! Surely thou art not 
afraid of me ? Turn back, I will not harm thee. I’m not burn- 
ing ! Turn back, oh, turn back ! ” 

With this, I reached the throne-room ; not a living creature 
was to be seen ; the vast chamber was as still as death. I stag- 
gered to a divan, and pillowing my poor aching head on a 
cushion, I fell into a sound and refreshing sleep. 

When I awoke, I rubbed my eyes and looked about me, and 
at first I thought that I was still alone in the great round 
chamber with its walls of ice ; but no, there on the divan sat 
Schneeboule, and she smiled and said in mock displeasure, — 

“ Thou art not a very watchful nurse, little baron, for in thy 
sleep thou didst squeeze Fuffcoojah so tightly against a cushion, 
that he crawled out from thy hood and nestled in my arms.” 

“ In thy arms, Schneeboule ? ” I exclaimed breathlessly, for 
I feared for the worst, and springing up I di'ew aside the soft 
pelt which she had wrapped around Fuffcoojah, and there he 
lay, dead ! Poor little beast, he had been so happy to crawl 
into the arms of one he loved so dearly, and had cuddled up 
closer and closer to her in search of greater warmth ; but only 
to come nearer and nearer to a heart that could not warm him ; 
and so the insidious chill of death, which bringeth sweet and 
pleasant drowsiness with it, had stole over him and he had 
died. 

And Schneeboule’s tears, freezing as they fell, now showered 
like a gentle hail of tiny gems upon the little dead beast, no 
longer Fufifcoojali, but once again the Little Man with the Frozen 
Smile. Presently the Koltykwerps recovered from their sense- 
less fear, and fii*st one by one, and then group-wise, they returned 


196 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


to their homes, King Geliclus and his court coming back too, 
to the fair palace which they had abandoned in their wild 
fright when the cry had gone up that the little baron was 
burning. 

Everybody was sorry to hear that Fuffcoojah had died the 
second time, and many were the frozen tears that dropped from 
the chilly cheeks of the Koltykwerps as they looked upon the 
Little Man with the Frozen Smile as he lay on the white pelt 
beside the Princess Schneeboule. 

That day we bore him back to the ice grotto, and having laid 
him in the hollow moulded by his body in the crystal block, it 
was closed again so skilfully by the king’s quarrymen that no 
eye was keen enough to note where the cleavage had been. 
And the same uncanny glint was in his eyes, and when the 
Koltykwerps saw this their icy hearts felt a cold shiver of 
satisfaction, for not only was the Little Man with the Frozen 
Smile back in his crystal cell again, but all the fears and dread- 
ful fancies which his coming to life again had given rise to 
were past and gone forever, and peace and quiet and sweet 
contentment reigned throughout the icy realm of his frigid 
Majesty Gelidus, King of the Koltykwerps ! 

Now nothing remained to make his cold heart crack with joy 
but to see his beloved child Schneeboule make choice of a 
husband. And he had not long to wait, for one day upon enter- 
ing the palace she saw a youth lying at the foot of the stair- 
way overcome with sleep. In one hand he held an alabaster 
lamp, and in the other a new wick which he was about to fit 
into it, for the youth was a lamp-trimmer in the ice palace of 
King Gelidus ; and when the Princess Schneeboule saw him 
lying there overcome with sleep, she stooped and kissed him on 
the cheek, and passed on without another thought about the 
matter, one way or the other. 

And the kiss froze on the cheek of the lamp-trimmer, where 
Schneeboule had pressed it. 

Presently King Gelidus came tramping into the hallway with 


) 



DKATH OF FUFFCOOJAH. 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 199 


his breath white upon his beard, and he saw the youth lying 
there, and the frozen kiss on his cheek, and he bade Glacier- 
bhoy scrape the delicate frost crystals from the youth’s face 
with a blade of polished horn. 

“ What hast there, father of mine ? ” asked the princess, 
when she saw him bearing the blade of horn along so care- 
fully. 

“ A kiss which someone pressed upon the cheek of one of my 
lamp -trimmers, now lying on the staircase overcome with 
sleep,” replied King Gelidus, in ringing, icy tones. 

“ Why, father of mine,” exclaimed Princess Schneeboule, 
“ now that thou speakst of it, I really believe the kiss is mine, 
for I recollect kissing someone as I entered the palace, I was 
deep in thought, but no doubt the youth pleased me as he lay 
there, asleep with lamp in one hand and wick in the other.” 

And that lamp-trimmer trimmed no more lamps in the ice 
palace of his frigid Majesty Gelidus, King of the Koltykwerps. 

No doubt he made Schneeboule a very good husband, and I’m 
quite sure that she made him a good wife. I would have been 
glad to tarry for the nuptial feast, but that was out of the 
question. I had stayed too long already. 


200 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXIX 

SOMETHING CONCERNING THE MANY PORTALS TO THE ICY DO- 
MAIN OF KING GELIDUS AND THE DIFFICULT TASK OF CHOOS- 
ING THE EIGHT ONE. — HOW BULGER SOLVED IT. — OUR 

FAREWELL TO THE COLD-BLOODED KOLTYKWERPS. — 

schneeboule’s sorrow at losing us. 

As Bullibrain had once remarked, when there are many doors 
it’s a wise man who knows which is the rigbt one to open ; and 
this I found to he the case when I attempted to take my de- 
parture from the icy domain of his frigid Majesty, Gelidus, King 
of the Koltykwerps, for there was a baker’s dozen of galleries, in 
each of which, upon exploring it, I came, after a tramp of half 
a mile or so, up against a lofty gate of solid ice, curiously carved 
and fitting the end of the gallery as a cork does a bottle. 

No doubt you are wondering why I didn’t make my way out 
of the Koltykwerpian kingdom by following the river : for the 
very good reason that it went no farther than King Gelidus’s 
domain, emptying into a vast reservoir which apparently had 
a subterranean outlet, for its thick covering of ice always re- 
mained at the same height. 

The king’s quarrymen were ordered to hew an opening 
through whichever door I should point out as the one that I 
wished to pass through, but I was informed by Phrostyphiz that 
according to the law of the land but one door could be opened 
during any one j’^ear, so that if I found my way blocked and 
turned back again it would mean a delay of twelve months. 
Bullibrain, with all his wisdom, was powerless to assist me, 
although I was half inclined to think that he might have done 
so had he been permitted to investigate the secret records of 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 201 


the kingdom, carved upon huge tablets of ice, and stored away 
in the vaults of the palace. 

The fact of the matter is King Gelidus w'as so desirous of having 
me assist at the marriage feast of Princess Schneeboule, that he 
threw every obstacle in my way that he could, without openly 
showing his hand. And Schneeboule herself by the dancing of 
her clear gray eyes gave me to understand that she, too, was 
hoping that I would make a mistake when I came to point out 
the door which I wanted opened. 

Bulger saw that I was in trouble, but couldn’t comprehend 
clearly what that trouble was. He kept his eyes fastened upon 
me, however, watching my every movement, hoping, no doubt, 
to solve the mystery. 

While sitting one day lost in thought over the very serious 
problem which I found myself called upon to solve, an idea 
struck me : I had noticed that in the meat-quarries, the work- 
men often made use of sounding-rods, which were long pieces 
of polished bone, ending in flint tips. A Koltykwerpian quarry- 
man by dexterously twisting this rod, was able to bore a hole 
six feet deep or more into the solid bed of ice when desirous of 
ascertaining the position of a carcass in the meat quarry, and it 
occured to me that by piercing the portals of ice which closed 
their various corridors I have spoken of, possibly Bulger’s keen 
scent might recognize that current of air which would have in 
it the odor of earth and rock ; in other words, make choice for 
me of the portal which opened on that corridor leading away 
from the icy domain of King Gelidus and not merely into some 
outlying chamber of his kingdom. 

His frigid Majesty could not object to such experiments, for 
tlie law only forbade the hewing of openings large enough for 
the hewer to pass through. 

King Gelidus and half a dozen of his courtiers, looking stern 
and frigid and conversing in freezing tones, were present to see 
the experiment tried. Methouglit their icy lips clacked to- 
gether with satisfaction when, at my request, one portal after 


202 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


another was pierced, but Bulger, after sniffing at the hole, 
turned away with a bewildered look in his eyes as if he didn’t 
half understand why I was ordering him to thrust his warm 
nose into such cold places. 

And so we tramped from corridor to corridor, until the 
quarrymen began to show signs of fatigue, and the sounding- 
rod turned slower and slower in their hands. 

Phrostyphiz blinked his cold gray eyes as much as to say, 
“ Little baron, thou must bide with us for another year ! ” But 
1 merely turned to the quarrymen, and ordered them to pierce 
one more portal of ice ere we abandoned the task for the day. 
They went at the work of piercing the eleventh door with the 
pace of pack-mules up a mountain-side. But at last the sound- 
ing-rod bored a way through, and at a wave of my hand the 
quarrymen fell back. In an instant Bulger had his nose at the 
hole, and took three or four quick, nervous sniffs, ending with a 
long, deep-drawn one, and then breaking out into a string of 
sharp, jerky, joyful barks, he began scratching furiously at the 
bottom of the portal. 

“Your frigid Majesty,” said I, with a low and stately bend of 
my body such as only those born to the manner can make, “by 
this portal, at the coming of to-morrow’s sun, I shall pass from 
your Majesty’s icy dominion!” And when Phrostyphiz and 
Glacierbhoy heard these words of mine uttered so loftily, their 
eyes gleamed cold as steel, and they followed the King in silence 
back to the palace of ice. Schneeboule met them in the grand 
hallway ; and when she had looked upon their faces she began 
to weep, for she loved me and she loved Bulger too, and her 
cold little heart could not bear the thought of our going. 

King Gelidus, however, soon recovered his spirits, and ordered 
a feast with song and dance in honor of Bulger, who during the 
festivities sat on the highest divan with the softest pelt beneath 
him ; and so many were the frozen tidbits which the Koltykwerps 
presented to him during the progress of the feast, that I grew 
alarmed lest he might overload his stomach and not be in a fit 



KOLTYKWKIUMAN QUARRYMEN HEWING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE WALL OF ICE 





I 









i - 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 205 


condition to make the early start on our journey, of which I 
had given notice to the Koltykwerpian monarch. But his good 
sense saved him from doing so foolish a thing; in fact, I was 
greatly amused to see that, while he accepted every tidbit 
handed to him, and solemnly went through the motions of 
chewing it, yet watching his chance, he slyly dropped it out of 
his mouth and flirted it aside with his paw. Thus was spent 
our last night at the icy court of his frigid Majesty, and on the 
morrow the Koltykwerps collected in great crowds on tlie differ- 
ent terraces to say good-by. I pressed a kiss on the cheek of 
Princess Schneeboule, and when it had turned to ice crystals, 
one of her men brushed it into an alabaster box. 

Prince Chillychops, the former lamp-trimmer, was on hand 
with the rest of the Koltykwerpian nobles, but I flattered my- 
self that Schneeboule loved me better than she did him. How- 
ever, I wished him joy, and gripped his cold palm with such 
warmth that he stood blowing it for a whole -minute. When 
we reached the lofty portal we found that the quarrymen had 
already hewn a passage through it, and near by I observed a 
pile of massive blocks of ice, crystal clear. 

These, when Bulger and I should pass through the opening, 
were to be used in walling it up again ; and when I saw this pile 
of blocks, and remembered the solid workmanship of the Kolty- 
kwerpian quarrymen, the thought flitted through my mind : Sup- 
pose Bulger hath not chosen wusely, what use would there be in 
turning back, for my own weak hands would be powerless 
against a wall built of such blocks, and knock I ever so loud, 
how could the sound ever traverse this long and winding corri- 
dor and reach the ear of a Koltykwerp? “No,” said I to my- 
self, “ if Bulger hath not chosen wisely, it will be good-by to 
both upper and under worlds.” And then, bearing an alabaster 
lamp in one hand and in the other holding the cord which I had 
tied to Bulger’s collar, I stepped through the narrow passage 
hewn by the quarrymen, and turned my back forever on the cold 
dominion of Gelidus, King of the Koltykwerps. Once I halted 


206 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


and looked back. I could see nothing, but I could hear the sharp 
click of the flint axes as the quanymen closed up the door that 
shut me out from so many cold but loving hearts. And then I 
di'ew a long breath and went on my way again. 

And that was the last I ever saw of the Koltykwerps save in 
day dream or night vision. 








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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 209 


CHAPTER XXX 

ALL ABOUT THE MOST TERRIBLE BUT MAGNIFICENT RIDE I 
EVER TOOK IN MY LIFE. — NINETY MILES ON THE BACK OF 
A FLYING MASS OF ICE, AND HOW BULGER AND I WERE 
LANDED AT LAST ON THE BANKS OF A MOST WONDERFUL 
RIVER. — HOW THE DAY BROKE IN THIS UNDER WORLD. 

Had my hand at that moment not grasped a cord tied to the 
neck of my wise and keen-eyed Bulger, I really believe 1 
would have come to a halt, faced about, retraced my steps, 
and begged the inhabitants of this crystal realm to admit me 
once more into the cold kingdom where Gelidus held his icy 
court ; for a sudden fit of depression came upon me as the chilly 
air struck against my cheeks and I saw the deep darkness made 
visible by the tiny flame of my alabaster lamp. 

Cold though it might be, I would have sunshine in the icy 
land of the Koltykwerps, but now how could I tell what fate 
awaited me ? 

Luckily, I had asked the captain of the meat quarries to allow 
me to retain one of his sounding-rods with its flint point, for 
I feared lest in descending some icy declivity I might fall and 
bruise, or even break, a limb. 

I was determined to advance cautiously along this icy passage, 
shrouded as it was in impenetrable gloom, and so different from 
the broad and polished pavement of the Marble Highway ; and 
hence, hanging the lamp about my neck, T proceeded to make 
use of the sounding-rod as an alpenstock, for which purposes it 
was admirably adapted. Suddenly Bulger halted, gave a low 
whine of warning, and turned back. In an instant I knew that 
there was danger ahead, and letting myself drop on my hands 


210 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


and knees crawled carefully along to make an investigation of 
the dangerous spot in our route signalled by the watchful 
Bulger. 

It was only too true : we stood apparently upon the very edge 
of a sheer parapet, how high I had no way of ascertaining, but 
I was unable to reach any bottom with the sounding-rod. 

What was to be done? Turn back? 

It was not yet too late, the Koltykwerpian quarrymen could 
not have completed their task in so short a time, they would 
hear my knock, they would tear down their wall of ice, and 
Gelidus and Schneeboule would welcome us back to their ice 
palace with a cold, but honest satisfaction. 

As I sat there plunged in thought, I half unconsciously began 
to twirl the sounding-rod around until I had sunk it half its 
length into the floor of ice, and then reaching out I encircled 
Bulger with my arm and drew him up against me as was my 
wont when preparing for profound meditation. 

I had scarcely done so when the ice beneath me gawe one of 
those sharp, clear, cracking noises so unlike the sound made by 
the breaking of any other substance ; and thereupon I felt the 
crystal mass on which Bulger and I were sitting tremble and 
vibrate for an instant, and then, with a sudden downward cant, 
break away from the mass behind it and begin to move ! 

Instinctively a sense of my awful peril prompted me to cling 
to the sounding-rod which I had sunk drill-like into the ice. 
Luckily it was between my legs, and quick as a flash I intwined 
them around it, assuming a Turkish sitting posture, while my 
left arm was wrapped tightly around Bulger’s body. 

I don’t know how it was done, done as it was all in an 
instant ; but there I sat now firmly saddled, so to speak, upon 
that crystal monster’s back, as with a creak and a crash it 
snapped the crystal links which bound it to the wall of ice 
and plunged headlong down the glassy slope. 

In my fright I had dropped my lamp, and now the deep gloom 
of this under world inwrapped me. But no, it was not so, for 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 211 


as the escaping block of ice creaked and craunched its way 
along, the two cold crystal surfaces gave forth a weird glimmer 
of phosphorescent light which made the flying mass seem like a 
monstrous living thing, out of whose thousand eyes were dart- 
ing tongues of flame as it rushed madly along, now gaining 
speed upon striking a steeper stretch of way, now fouling with 
some obstruction and dashing against the rocky sides of the cor- 
ridor, and sending a shower of crystals sparkling and glittering 
in the black air ! 

Anon the escaping block comes upon a gentle slope, and with 
the low music of crushing crystals slips softly along in its flight 
as if mounted upon runners of polished steel, and then with a 
sudden dip it glides upon a sharper descent and fairly leaps into 
the air as it bounds along, hissing over the slippery roadway, 
and leaving a train of fire behind it. And now it strikes a 
stretch of way piled here and there with clumps and blocks of 
ice. 

With a mad fury it springs upon the lesser ones with a growl 
of rage, grinding them to powder, which, like showers of icy 
foam, it hurls upon Bulger and me seated on its back. But 
some of the blocks resist its terrible onslaught and our mighty 
steed is hurled from side to side with crash and creak, as it 
drives its crystal corners fiercely against the jutting rocks, 
leaving marks of its white flesh on these black heads of 
adamant. 

It seems an hour since the crystal monster broke away, and 
yet ever downward he threads his wild flight, butting, bumping, 
jostling, veering, staggering along, bearing Bulger and me to 
the lowest level of the World within a World. 

Will he never end his mad flight? 

Is there no way for me to curb him ? 

Must he fly until he has ground his very body to such* a thin- 
ness that the next obstruction will shatter it into ten thousand 
pieces, and hurl Bulger and me to death ? 

As these thoughts are flitting through my mind, the flying 


212 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


mass takes one last mad plunge which lands it on an almost 
level stretch of roadwaj^ and by the different sound given out 
by the sliding block, I know that we have left the regions of ice 
behind us, and that our crystal sledge is gliding gently along 
over a track of polished marble. 

But, mile after mile, it still glides along, gently, softly, 
silently, and then I dare to think that our lives are saved. 

But so terrible had been the strain, so fearful the anxiety, so 
exhausting the effort necessary to hold my place on the block 
of ice, and keep my beloved Bulger from slipping out of my 
arms, that I fell backward into a dead faint as the gliding mass 
came, at last, to a standstill. I think I must have lain there a 
good half hour or so ; for when I came to myself Bulger’s 
frantic joy told me that he had been terribly wrought up over 
me, and the moment I opened my eyes he began to shower 
caresses on my hands and face in most lover-like style. Dear, 
grateful heart, he felt that he owed his life this time to his 
little master, and he wanted me to understand how thankful he 
was. 

The moment Bulger’s nerves had recovered from the shock 
occasioned by my prolonged faint, I reached for my repeater 
and touched its spring. 

It registered one liour and a half since we had stepped 
through the icy portal of King Gelidus’ domain. Allowing a 
half-hour for the time I lay unconscious, it showed that our 
mad descent on the back of the crystal monster had lasted quite 
a full hour, and reckoning the average speed of the escaping 
mass of ice to have been a mile and a half a minute, that we 
were now in the neighborhood of ninety miles away from the 
cold kingdom where Gelidus sat on his icy throne, and Princess 
Schneeboule at his feet with Chillychops beside her. 

It was with great difficulty that I could rise to my feet, so 
stiffened were my joints and knotted my muscles after that ter- 
rible ride, every instant of which I expected to be dashed to 
pieces against projecting rocks, or torn to shreds by being caught 



THE TROPICS OF THE UNDER WORLD 




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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 215 


between the fleeing monster of ice and the gigantic icicles hang- 
ing from the ceiling like the shining teeth of some huge creature 
of this under world. 

But could it be, dear friends, that Bulger and I had only 
escaped a quick and merciful ending to be brought face to face 
with a death ten times more terrible, in that it was to be slow 
and gradual, denied even the poor boon of looking upon each 
other, for darkness impenetrable was folded about us and silence 
so deep that my ears ached in their longing for some sound to 
break it. And yet there was something in the sound of my 
own voice that startled me when I used it : it seemed as if the 
awful stillness were angered at being disturbed by it, and smote 
it back into my teeth. 

Where are we ? This was the question I put to myself, and 
then in my mind I strove to recall every word which I had read 
in the musty pages of Don Fum’s manuscript concerning the 
World within a World ; but I could recollect nothing to enlight- 
en me, not a word to give me hope or cheer, and I was about to 
cry out in utter despair when, happening to raise my eyes and 
look off in the distance, I saw what seemed to me to be a jack- 
a-lantern dancing along on the ground. 

It was a strange and fantastic sight in this region of inky 
darkness, and for a moment I stood watching it with bated 
breath and wide-opened eyes ; but no, it could not be a will- 
with-the-wisp, for now the faint and uncertain glimmer had 
increased to a mild but steady glow, reaching away off in the 
distance like a long line of dying camp-fires seen through an 
enveloping mist. 

But in a moment’s time this wide encircling ring of light had 
so increased in brightness that it looked for all the world like a 
break o’ day in the land o’ sunshine, and here and there where 
its mild effulgence overcame the darkness of this subterranean 
region, I caught sight of walls and arches and columns of snow- 
white marble. And then as I called to mind Don Fum’s mys- 
terious reference to “sunrise in the lower world,” I swung my 


216 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


hat and gave a loud cry of joy, while Bulger waked the echoes 
of these spacious caverns by his barking. I tell you, dear 
friends, not until you have been in just such a plight can you 
know just how such a rescue feels. 

And now, no doubt, you are a bit anxious to know what sort 
of a sunrise could possibly take place in this under world miles 
below our own. 

Well, when you have travelled as many miles as I have, and 
seen as many wonders as I have, you’ll be ready to admit that 
wonders are quite as commonplace as commonplace itself. 
Know, then, that this vast region of the World within a World 
was girt round about by a broad and placid stream whose watem 
swarmed with vast numbers of gigantic radiate animals, such as 
polyps, sea-urchins, Portuguese men-of-war, sea-anemones, and 
the like ; that these transparent creatures, which had the power 
of emitting light, after lying dormant for twelve hours, gradu- 
ally unfolded their bodies and tentacles, and rose toward the 
surface of these calm and limpid waters, increasing by degrees 
their mysterious radiance, until they had chased the darkness 
from the vast caverns opening upon the banks of the river, and 
lighted up this under world with a soft effulgence somewhat 
brighter than the rays of our full moon. For twelve houm 
these weird lanterns of the stream made it day for this nether 
world, and then, as they gradually shrank together and sank 
out of sight, their expiring fires glowed with all the multi- 
colored radiance of our fairest twilight, and the night, blacker 
than Stygian darkness, came back again. But now ’twas full 
daylight, and bidding Bulger follow me I walked in silent won- 
der along the banks of this glowing stream, which, like a band 
of mysterious fire, as far as my eye could reach went circling 
around the white marble mouths of these vast underground 
chambers. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 217 


CHAPTER XXXr 

IN WHICH YOU READ OF THE GLORIOUS CAVERNS OP WHITE 
MARBLE FRONTING ON THE WONDERFUL RIVER. — IN THE 
TROPICS OF THE UNDER WORLD. — HOW WE CAME UPON A 

SOLITARY WANDERER ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. 

MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM, AND MY JOY AT FINDING 
MYSELF IN THE LAND OF THE RATTLEBRAINS, OR HAPPY 
FORGETTERS. — BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEM. 

With every turn in the winding way that skirted the white 
shores of this wonderful stream, its swarms of light-emitting 
animals lent it a new beauty; for as the day advanced — if I 
may so express it — they lifted their glowing bodies nearer and 
nearer to the surface, until now the river shone like molten sil- 
ver ; and as the sheer walls of rock on the opposite bank held 
set in them vast slabs of mica, the effect was that these gigan- 
tic natural mirroi’S reflected the glowing stream with startling 
fidelity, and threw the flood of soft light in dazzling shimmer 
against the fantastic portals of the white marble caverns on 
this side of the stream. It was a scene never to forget, and 
again and again I paused in silent wonder to feast my eyes upon 
some newly discovered beauty. Now, for the first, I noted that 
every white marble basin of cove and inlet was filled with a dif- 
ferent glow, according to the nature of the tiny phosphorescent 
animals which happened to fill its waters, — one being a delicate 
pink, another a glorious red, the third a deep rich purple, the 
fourth a soft blue, the fifth a golden yellow, and so on, the charm 
of each tint being greatly enhanced by the snowy whiteness of 
these marble basins, througb which long lines of curious fish 
scaled in hues of polished gold and silver swam slowly along, 
turning up their glorious sides to catch the full splendor of the 


218 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


light reflected from the mica mirrors. And now the chilly 
breath of King Gelidus’ domain no longer filled the air. I 
stood in the tropics of the under world, so to speak ; and but one 
thing was lacking to make my enjoyment of this fairy region 
complete, and that was some one to share it with me. 

True, Bulger had an idea of its beauty, for he testified his 
happiness at being once more in a warm land by executing some 
mad capers for my amusement, and by scampering along the 
shore of the glowing river and barking at the stately fish as they 
slowly fanned the water with their many colored fins ; but I 
must admit that I longed for the Princess Schneeboule to keep 
me company. But it was a rash wish ; for the warm air would 
have thrown her into convulsions of fear, and she would have 
preferred to meet her death in the cool river rather than attempt 
to breathe such a fiery atmosphere. By this time I had ad- 
vanced several miles along the white shores of the glowing 
stream, and, feeling somewhat fatigued, I was about to sit down 
on the jutting edge of a natural bench of rock, which seemed 
almost placed on the river banks by human hands for human 
forms to rest upon and watch the wonderful play of tints and 
hues in this wide sweeping inlet, Avhen, to my amazement, I saw 
that a human creature was already sitting there. 

His eyes were fixed upon the water, and methought that his 
face, which was gentle and placid, wore a tired look. Certainly 
he was plunged into such deep meditation that he either took 
or feigned to take no notice of my approach. Bulger was in- 
clined to dash forward and attract his attention by a string of ear- 
splitting barks, but I shook my head. This wanderer along the 
glowing stream of day wore rather a graceful cloak-like garment, 
woven of some substance that shimmered in the light, and so I 
concluded that it must be mineral wool. His head was bare, and 
so were his legs to the knees, his feet being shod with white 
metal sandals tied on with what looked like leathern thongs. 
All in all, he had a friendly though somewhat peculiar look 
about him, and his attitude struck me as l)eing that of a person 



THROUGH THE REVOLVING DOOR. 




I 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 221 


either plunged into deep thought, or possibly listening for some 
anxiously expected signal. At any rate, accustomed as I was 
to meet all sorts of people on my travels in the four corners of 
the globe, I determined to make bold enough to interrupt the 
gentleman’s meditations and wish him good-morrow. 

“ Whom have I the pleasure of meeting in this beautiful sec- 
tion of the World within a World?” 

The man looked at me in a dazed sort of way and replied, — 

“ I really don’t know. I’m happy to say.” 

“ But, sir, thy name ! ” I insisted. 

“ Forgot it years ago,” was his remarkable answer. 

“ But surely, sir,” I exclaimed rather testily, “ thou art not 
the sole inhabitant of this beautiful under world, — thou hast 
kinsman, wife, family ? ” 

“ Ay, gentle stranger,” he replied in slow and measured 
tones, “ there are people farther along the shore, and they are 
good, dear souls, although I have forgotten their names, and I 
have, too, a very faint recollection that two of those people are 
sons of mine. Stop ! no, their names are gone from me too, I 
forgot them the day my own name slipped from my mind ! ” 
and as he uttered these words he threw his head back with a 
sudden jerk and I heard a strange click inside of it, as if some- 
thing had slipped from its place, and that instant a mysterious 
expression used by that Master of Masters, Don Fum, flashed 
through my mind. 

Rattlebrains ! Yes, that was it; and now I felt sure that I was 
standing in the presence of one of the curious folk inhabiting 
the World within a World, to whom Don Fum had given the 
strange name of Rattlebrains, or Happy Forgetters. 

I was so delighted that I could barely keep myself from rush- 
ing up to this gentle-visaged and mild-mannered person, whose 
head had just given forth the sharp click, and grasping him by 
the hand. But I feared to shock him by such a friendly greet- 
ing, and so I contented myself with crying out, — 

“ Sir, thou seest before thee none other than the famous trav- 


222 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


eller, Baron Sebastian vonTroomp ! ” but to my great amazement 
and greater chagrin he simply turned his strange eyes, with the 
faraway look, upon me for an instant, and then resumed his con- 
templation of the beautifully tinted sheet of water, as if I hadn’t 
opened my mouth. It was the most extraordinary treatment that 
I had experienced since my descent into the under world, and 
I was upon the point of resenting it, as became a true knight and 
especially a von Troomp, when Don Fum’s brief description of 
the Rattlebrains, or Happy Forgetters, flitted through my mind. 

Said he, “ By the exercise of their strong wills they have 
been busy for ages striving to unload their brains of the to them 
now useless stock of knowledge accumulated by their ancestors, 
and the natural consequence has been that the brains of these 
curious folk, who call themselves the Happy Forgetters, relieved 
of all labor and strain of thought, have absolutely shrunken 
rather than increased in size, so that with many of the Happy 
Forgetters their brains are like the shrivelled kernel of a last 
year’s nut and give forth a sharp click when they move their 
heads suddenly with a jerk, as is often their wont, for they take 
great pride in proving to the listener that they deserve the name 
of Rattlebrain. 

“ Nor do I need remind thee, O reader, ” concluded Don Fum, 
in his celebrated work on the “ World within a World,” “ that the 
chiefest among the Happy Forgetters is the man whose head 
gives forth the loudest and sharpest click ; for he it is who has 
forgotten most.” 

You can have but a faint idea, dear friends, of my delight at 
the prospect of spending some time among these curious people 
— people who look with absolute dread upon knowledge as the 
one thing necessary to get rid of before happiness can enter the 
human heart. 

No joy can equal the Happy Forgetter’s when, upon clasping a 
friend’s hand, he finds that he has forgotten his very name ; and 
no day is well spent in this land at the close of which the 
inhabitant may not exclaim, — 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 223 


“ This clay I succeeded in forgetting- something that I knew 
yesterday ! ” 

At last the Happy Forgetter rose from his seat and calmly 
walked away, without so much as wishing me good-day ; but I 
was resolved not to be so easily gotten rid of, so I called after 
him in a loud voice, and Bulger, following, my example, raised a 
racket at his heels, whereupon he faced about and remarked, — 

“ Beg pardon, I had quite forgotten thee. I’m happy to say, and 
thy name too. I’ve forgotten that ; let me see. Art thou a radiate? ” 
(One of the animals in tlie water.) I was more than half in- 
clined to lose my temper at this slur, classing me, a back-boned 
animal, with a mere jelly-fish ; but under all the circumstances 
I thought it best to control myself, for I could well imagine that 
from the size of my head and the utter absence of all click in- 
side of it, I was not destined to be a very welcome visitor among 
the Happy Forgetters ; and therefore, swallowing my injured 
feelings, I made a very low bow, and begged this curious gentle- 
man to be kind enough to conduct me to his people — among 
whom I wished to abide for a few days. 


224 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


CHAPTER XXXII 

HOW WE ENTERED THE LAND OF THE HAPPY FORGETTERS. 
— SOMETHING MORE ABOUT THESE CURIOUS FOLK. — THEIR 

DREAD OF BULGER AND ME. ONLY A STAY OF ONE DAY 

ACCORDED US. — DESCRIPTION OF THE PLEASANT HOMES OF 
THE HAPPY FORGETTERS. — THE REVOLVING DOOR THROUGH 
WHICH BULGER AND I ARE UNCEREMONIOUSLY SET OUT- 
SIDE OF THE DOMAIN OF THE RATTLEBRAINS. — ALL ABOUT 
THE EXTRAORDINARY THINGS WHICH HAPPENED TO BUL- 
GER AND ME THEREAFTER. — ONCE MORE IN THE OPEN 
AIR OF THE UPPER WORLD, AND THEN HOMEWARD BOUND. 

The Happy Forgetter pursued his way calmly along the 
winding path that skirted the glowing river, apparently, and no 
doubt really, unconscious of the fact that Bulger and I were 
following close at his heels. After half an hour or so of this 
silent tramp, he suddenly came to a standstill, and with his placid 
countenance turned toward the light seemed to be so far away 
in thougfht that for several moments I hesitated to address him. 
But as there were no signs of his showing any disposition to 
come to himself, 1 made bold to ask him the cause of the delay. 

“ I’m happy to say,” he remarked, without so much as deign- 
ing to turn his head, “ that I’ve forgotten which of these two 
roads leads to the homes of our people.” 

Well, this was a pleasant outlook to be sure, and, I don’t know 
what we should have done had not Bulger solved the difficulty 
for us by making choice of one of the paths and dashing on 
ahead with a bark of encouragement for us to follow. 

When I assured the Happy Forgetter that he need have no 
fear as to the wisdom of the choice, he gave a start of almost 



CAUGHT UP IN THE AKMS OK THE TOHRENT, 



A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 227 


horror at the information ; for you must know, dear friends, that 
the Happy Forgetter has more (h-ead of knowledge than we 
have of ignorance. To liiin it is the mother of all discontent, 
the source of all unhappiness, the cause of all the dreadful ills 
that have come upon the world, and the people in it. 

“The world,” said one of th^ Happy Forgetters to me sadly, 
“ was perfectly happy once, and man had no name for his brother, 
and yet he loved him even as the turtle-dove loves his mate, al- 
though he has no names to call her by. But, alas, one day this 
happiness came to an end, for a strange malady broke out among 
the people. They were seized with a wild desire to invent names 
for things ; even many names for the same thing, and different 
ways of doing the same thing. This strange passion so grew 
upon them that they spent their lives in making them in every 
possible way harder to live. They built different roads to the 
same place, they made different clothes for different days, and 
different dishes for different feasts. To each child they gave 
two, three, and even four different names ; and different shoes 
were fashioned for different feet, and one family was no longer 
satisfied with one drinking-gourd. Did they stop here ? 

“ Nay, they now busied themselves learning how to make dif- 
ferent faces to different friends, covering a frown with a smile, 
and singing gay songs when their hearts were sad. In a few 
centuries a brother could no longer read a brother’s face, and 
one-half the world went about wondering what the other half 
was thinking about; hence arose misunderstandings, quarrels, 
feuds, warfare. Man was no longer content to dwell with his 
fellow-man in the spacious caverns which kind nature had hol- 
lowed out for him, piercing the mountains with winding 
passages beside which his . narrow streets dwindled to merest 
j)athways.” 

In the Land of the Happy Forgetters care never comes to 
trouble sleep, nor anxious thought to wear the dread mask of 
To-morrow ! 

Happy the day on which this child of nature might exclaim : 


2^8 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


“Since morn I’ve forgotten something! I’ve unloaded my 
mind! It’s one thought lighter than it was ! ” 

He was the happiest of the Happy Forgetters who could 
honestly say, I know not thy name, nor when thou wast born, 
not where thou dwellest, nor who thy kinsmen are ; I only know 
that thou art my brother, and that thou wilt not see me suffer 
if I should forget to eat, or perish of thirst if I forget to drink, 
and that thou wilt bid me close my eyes if I should forget that 
I had laid me down to sleep. 

Bulger’s and my arrival in the Land of the Happy Forgetters 
filled the hearts of these curious folk with secret dread. At 
sight of my large head they all began to tremble like children 
in the dark stricken with fear of bogy or goblin, and with one 
voice they refused to permit me to sojourn a single brief half- 
hour among them ; but gradually this sudden terror passed off 
a bit, and after a council held by a few of the younger men, whose 
brains as yet completely filled their heads, it was determined 
that I might bide for another day in their land, but that then 
the revolving door should be opened, and Bulger and I be thrust 
outside of their domain. 

From what Don Fum had written about the Happy Forget- 
ters, I knew only too well that it would be useless for me to 
attempt to reverse this decree ; so I held my peace, except 
to thank them for this great favor shown me. 

The daylight, if I may call it so, now began to wane, or rather 
the thousands of light-giving creatures swarming in the river 
now began to draw in their long tentacles, close their flower- 
like bodies, and slowly sink to the bottom of the stream. I was 
quite anxious to see whether the Happy Forgetters would make 
any attempt to light up their cavernous homes, or whether they 
would simply creep off to bed and sleep out the long hours of 
pitchy darkness. To my surprise, I novr heard the clicking of 
hints on all sides, and in a moment or so a thousand or more 
great candles made of mineral wax with asbestos wicks were 
lighted, and the great chambers of white marble. were soon aglow 
with these soft and steady hames. 


A MA/iVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 229 


The Happy Forge tters were strictly vegetable eaters, feeding 
upon the various fungous plants growing in these caverns in 
great profusion, together with a very nutritious and pleasant 
tasting jelly made from a hardened gum of vegetable origin 
which abounded in the crevices of certain rocks. There was 
still another source of food ; namely, the nests of certain shell- 
fish, which they built against the face of the rock, just above 
the surface of the river. These dissolved in boiling water 
made an excellent broth, very much like the soup from edible 
birds’ nests. 

The clothes worn by the Happy Forge tters were entirely 
woven from mineral wool, which in these caverns gave a long 
and strong fibre of astonishing softness. The Rattlebrains were 
tolerably good metal-workers too, but contented themselves with 
fashioning only such articles as were actually necessary for 
daily use. Their beds were stuffed with dried seaweed and 
lichens, and Bulger and I passed a very comfortable night. 

As I was forbidden to speak aloud, to ask a question, or to 
walk abroad unless in company with one of the selectmen, I was 
not sorry when the moment came for the revolving door to be 
opened. The Happy Forgetters had been led to believe that 
Bulger and I were a thousand times more dangerous than scaly 
monsters or black-winged vampires, and hence they held them- 
selves aloof from us, the children hiding behind their mothers, 
and the mothers peering through crack and crevice at us. 

The size of my head inspired them with a nameless dread, 
and even the half-a-dozen of the younger and more courageous 
drew aside instinctively to let me pass. 

For the first time in my life I was an object of horror to my 
fellow-creatures, but I had no hard thoughts against them! 
Timid children of nature that they were, to them I was as ter- 
rible an object as the torch-armed demon of destruction would 
be to us were he let loose in one of our fair cities of the upper 
world. 

And now the guard of Happy Forgetters had halted in front 


230 A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


of what seemed to me to be a huge cask fashioned of solid 
marble, and set one-half within the white wall of the cavern to 
which they had led me. But on second glance I saw that there 
was a row of square holes around its bulge, like those in the 
top of a capstan. 

The Happy Forgetters now disappeared for a moment, and 
when they joined me again each bore in hand a metal bar, the 
end of which lie set in one of these holes, and then at a signal 
from the leader the huge half-circle of marble began to turn 
noiselessly around, exactly like a capstan. As each man’s lever 
came to the wall, he shifted it to the front again. Suddenly, to 
my amazement, 1 saw that the great marble cask was hollow, 
like a sentry box ; and you may judge of my feelings, dear 
friends, upon being politely requested to step inside. 

Did I refuse to obey ? 

Not I. It would have been useless, for was not the whole 
tribe of Rattlebrains there to lay hands upon me and thrust me 
in ? 

So taking off my hat and making a low bow to the little 
group of Happy Forgetters, I stepped within the hollow cask and 
Bulger did the same ; but not with so good a grace as his master, 
for, casting an angry glance at the inhospitable dwellers in these 
chambers of white marble, he growled and laid bare his teeth to 
show his contempt for them. 

Now the great marble cask began to revolve the other way 
and in a moment it was back in place again. 

I heard several sharp clicks as if a number of huge spring 
latches had snapped into place, and then all was silent as the 
tomb, and I had almost said as dark too ; but no, I could not 
say that, for I looked out into a low tunnel which ran past the 
niche in which Bulger and I were standing, and to my more 
than wonder it was dimly lighted. 

I stepped out into it ; it was as round as a cannon bore and 
just high enough for me to stand erect ; and now I discovered 
whence the light proceeded. In the cracks and crevices of its 



HU K LED OUT IN THE SUNSHINE 




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A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 233 


walls grew vast masses of those delicate light-giving fungous 
rootlets, the glow of which was so strong that I had no difficulty 
in reading the writing on my tablets ; in fact, I stood there for 
several minutes making entries by the light of these bunches of 
glowing rootlets. 

Then the thought flashed through my mind, — 

“ Which way shall I turn, to the right or to the left? ” 

Bulger comprehended the cause of my vacillation and made 
haste to come to my rescue. After sniffing the air, first in one 
direction and then in the other, he chose the right hand, and I 
followed without a thought of (piestioning his wisdom. Strange 
to say, he had not advanced more than a few hundred rods before 
1 noticed that there was a strong current of air blowing through 
the tunnel in the direction Bulger had taken. 

Every moment it increased in violence, fairly lifting us from 
our feet and bearing us along through this narrow bore made by 
nature’s own hands and lighted too by lamps of her own fashion- 
ing. The motion of the air through this vast pipe caused bursts 
of mighty tones as if peeled forth by some gigantic organ played 
by giant hands. It was strange, but yet I felt no terror as I 
listened to this unearthly music, although its depth of tone jarred 
painfully upon my ear-drums. 

By the dim light of the luminous rootlets, I could see Bulg’d’ 
just ahead of me, and I was content. No shiver of fear ran down 
my back, or robbed my limbs of their full power to resist the 
ever-increasing pressure of the air. But as it grew stronger and 
stronger, half of my own accord and half because Bulger set the 
example, I broke into a run. Our pace once quickened it was 
impossible for me to slow up again! On, on, in a mad race, my 
feet scarcely touching the bottom of the tunnel, I sped along, 
while the great pipe through which I was borne on the very 
wings of the gale sent forth its deep and majestic peal. 

There was something strangely and mysteriously exciting in 
this race, and all that kept me from enjoying it to my full bent 
was the thought that a sudden increase in the violence of the 


234 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


blast might toss me violently on my face and possibly break an 
arm for me or injure me in some serious way. 

All at once the deep pealing forth of the organ-like tone ceased, 
and in its stead came the awful sound of rushing water. Before 
I had time to think, it was upon me, striking me like a terrific 
blow from some gigantic fist wearing a boxing-glove. The next 
instant I was caught up like a cork on a mountain torrent, 
swayed from side to side, twisted, turned, sucked down and cast 
up again, whirled over and over, tossed and tumbled, rolled along 
like a wheel, my arms and legs the spokes ! 

Wonderful to relate, I did not lose consciousness as this 
terrible current shot me like a stick of timber through a flume, 
whither I knew not, only that the speed and volume went ever 
on increasing until at last the tumultuous torrent filled the 
tunnel, and robbed me of light, of breath, of life, of every- 
thing, including my faithful and loving Bulger ! 

Ho\a' long it lasted — this fearful ride in the arms of these 
mad waters, rushing as if for life or death through this narrow 
bore — I know not; I oidy know that my ears were suddenly 
assailed with a mighty whizz and rush of water as through the 
nozzle of some gigantic hose, and that I was shot out into the 
glorious sunshine, out into the grand, free, open air of the upper 
world, and sent flying up toward the dear, blue sky with its 
flecks of fleecy cloudlets, and Bulger some twenty feet ahead of 
me, and that then, with a gracefully curved flight through the 
soft and balmy air of harvest time, we both were gently dropped 
into a quiet little lake nestled at the foot of a hillside yellow 
with ripened corn. In a moment or so we liad swum ashore. 
Bulger wanted to halt and shake the water from his thick 
coat, but I couldn’t wait for that. Wet as he was, I clasped 
him to my heart while he showered caresses on me. But not a 
Avord was said, not a sound was uttered. We were both of us 
too happy to speak, and if you have ever been in that state, 
dear friends, you know how it feels. 

I can’t describe it to you. 


A MARVELLOUS UNDERGROUND JOURNEY 


235 


At tins moment some men and boys clad in the garb of the 
Russian peasant came racing across the fields to see what I was 
about, no doubt, for I had stripped off my heavy outside cloth- 
ing, and was spreading it out in the sun to dry. 

Upon sight of these red-cheeked children of the upper world 
I was so overcome with joy that for a minute or so I couldn’t 
get a syllable across my lips, but making a great effort I cried 
out, — 

“ Fathers I Brothers ! Where am I ? Speak I dear souls I ” 

“ In north-eastern Siberia, little soul,” replied the eldest of 
the party, “ not far from the banks of the Obi ; but whence 
comest thou ? By Saint Nicholas, I believe thou wast spit out 
of the spouting well I What art thou doing here alone?” 

I paid no attention to the question. I was thinking of some- 
thing else of more importance to me, to wit: my splendid 
achievement, the marvellous underground journey I had just 
completed, fully five hundred miles in length, passing com- 
pletely under the Ural Mountains I After a short stay at the 
nearest village, I engaged the best guide that Avas to be had, and 
crossing the Urals by the pass in tlie most direct line, re-entered 
Russia and made haste to join the first government train on its 
Avay to St. Petersburg. 

Having despatched an avafit courier Avith letters to my be- 
loved parents, informing them of my good liealth and Avhere- 
abouts, I passed several Aveeks very pleasantly in the Russian 
capital, and then by easy stages set out for home. 

The elder baron came as far as Riga to meet me, and brought 
me the best of news from Castle Trump, that my dear mother 
Avas in perfect health, and that she and every man, Avoman, and 
child in and about the castle Avere anxiously Availing to give me 
a reiil German Avelcome back home again. And here, dear 
friends, mit herzliehen Griisse, Bulger and I take our leave of 
you. 













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Little Baroi Trip M His Woiflerffl M Bilier 


PRESS NOTICES 


BOSTON TI3IES. “ Mr. Ingersoll Lockwood is nothing if not original — and he 
is original. The most partial critic would not dare to deny him that desirable 
gift after a glance at his ‘ Little Baron Trump.’ Like tlie great Munchausen, 
the little Baron has a passion for travel, a lust of adventure, a fever of imagina- 
tion. He sees, says, and does queer things; accidents never heard of outside the 
lunatic asylums and Mr. Lockwood's pages test his resources at every hand ; to 
‘grapple with an emergency ’ is beneath him — he simply walks over it. We 
owe Mr. Lockwood thanks, too, for tliat he has neglected to wrap a moral 
around his tales, and has given us simply a delightful example of the art of 
sustained fooling.” 

UTICA HERALD. ” A book which might easily be rated one of the posthumous 
cliapters of the ‘ Arabian Nights,’ so far as its style goes, and possessing, as the 
little Baron observes, ‘ an almost Oriental exuberance of fancy.’ The pictures 
by Mr. Edwards are very comical, and as ingenious as they are quaint. But 
they are hardly as wonderful as the doings of the young Baron and his more 
wonderful confidant, Bulger. Surely never was such another dog as he.” 

NATIONAL TRIBUNE. “ The travels and adventures of Baron Trumpand the 
bulldog are indeed extraordinary, even more so tlian those of ‘ Sinbad the 
Sailor.’ The book is full of quaint humor, side-splitting at times. The Baron 
is an extremely precocious youngster, and Bxilger, though he cannot talk, is 
gifted with the worldly wisdom and acuteness of a Prime Minister.” 

WOMAN’S CYCLE. “ Poor ISIunchausen won his reputation in the nick of time. 
A few generations later and he would have had no chance atall. His inventive 
genius would have fallen below that of a reporter for a ‘ great’ daily. Imagi- 
nation is accustomed nowadays to astounding flights. It performs a series of 
them in this book, which is also illustrated so comically as to make the small 
boy sit on the floor and wriggle with delight, while his elders guffaw boister- 
ously. It is, in fact, a ‘ funny ’ book.” 

NEW YORK SUN. “A very whimsical and ingenious tale is that entitled 
‘ Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulger.’ Young or old readers 
will appreciate the humor of the author. The illustrations by George Wliarton 
Edwards admirably supplement the text. 

ALTA CALIFORNIAN. “Heathen mythology, ‘ The Arabian Nights,’ and the 
modern fairy tale are brought to mind by the wonderful scenes, but there is no 
evidence of plagiarism, startling originality being far more in the author’s line 
than surreptitious imitation. Many of the marvels are ingeniously founded on 
the scientific theories of recent years, and satires on popular shortcomings 
or delusions are conveyed in the guise of some perilous experience. The author 
has evidently given full but harmless rein to an original and prolific imagi- 
nation.” 

PORTL.VND TELEGRAM. “One of the most interesting stories for young 
people ever issued by an American publisher. Its humor is contagious, its fun 
rollicking, while the variety and astonishing nature of the experiences of the 
pair holds the reader captive until the end. The illustrations by Wharton Ed- 
wards lend an added charm to the work.” 


LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 


Little Baroi Trip aii His Woaflerfal Doi Balpr 


PRESS NOTICES 


N.Y. TRIBUNE. “ Mr. Lockwood’s clever book, though modelled, no doubt, on 
Munchausen’s narrative, has a whimsical originality of invention which the 
first Baron might have envied. It is a question whether the very youthful 
reader will fully appreciate all the fun which an older reader finds therein ; hut 
it is certain that the book will not be dropped until the last prodigious adven- 
ture is absorbed. As a book of fantastic impo.ssibilities, gravely set forth, it is 
the most attractive devised in many a season.’ ’ 

PUBLIC OPINION. “ One of the jolliest and most rollicking stories of the 
year. It is an old-time children’s story, full of marvel, mystery, and adventure. 
The author, Ingersoll Lockwood, has succeeded in writing a capital boy’s book 
that is at once fascinating and wholesome, as well as being good literature. 
The abundant illustrations, drawn by George Wharton Edwards, are admirably 
executed, and form a strong re-enforcement to the interest as well as the 
beauty of the work.” 

SACRAMENTO BEE. “A clean, well written, interesting children’s book, hut 
its adventures are so wonderful and so quaintly told that many a parent who 
would buy the hook as a Christmas present for his children would he beguiled 
into reading it for his own amusement.” 

ST. PAUL DISPATCH. “ It is a fanciful tale with a healthy tone throughout. 
Moreover, it is put in an attractive form, the cover being an unique combination 
of gray, black and brown, while the print is clear and the illustrations very at- 
tractive. ‘ Bulger ’ was Little Baron Trump’s companion from his birth; the 
relation of his attachment for his master and their adventures among strange 
peoples and in new countries is very entertaining. The book will be heartily 
welcomed by both boys and girls, and it is a safe book to place in their hands.” 

BROOKLYN EAGLE. “ A delightfully absurd and sarcastic boy’s story is 
‘ Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulger,’ with equally absurd and 
wonderful illustrations. It is as remarkable for its powers of absurdity as 
■‘Gulliver’s Travels’ or ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ if not so sarcastic as the first, 
and the illustrations are not merely absurd travesties, but works of art charac- 
teristically and in drawing. Bulger is truly a wonderful dog, but no more won- 
derful than his phenomenally brainy young master and the great variety of 
preposterous people he falls in with.” 

CHRISTIAN STANDARD. “ One of those strange, whimsical, julesvernish 
romances which, while they have neither mission nor moral, jdot or purpose, 
are strangely fascinating to children. This quaint and curious volume of never- 
to-be-forgotten lore is rendered the more attractive by numerous grotesque, 
giggles-begetting illustrations, by George Wharton Edwards.” 

HEALTH AND HOME. ‘‘This work will delight both young and old. It 
gives a series of ludicrous adventures of the Little Baron and his famous dog 
that are not only amusing, but, in many cases, point useful morals. It contains 
over 300 pages, all of which brim over with genuine humor, and is just the book 
for boys who are wearing their first pants, or even of a larger growth.” 

MINNEAPOLIS TRIBUNE. ‘‘A romance of wonderland, for old and young. 
It would be difficult to find a volume of adventures which would surpass Mr. 
Lockwood’s presentations of the wonders of travel, and of the deeds of the 
valiant heroes who trumpet their bravery and daring after laughable and 
amusing style.” 


LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 


PRESS NOTICES 


CLEVELAND PLAINDEALER. “ Ingersoll Lockwood, who delighted and be- 
wildered readers young and old with those queer extravaganzas, ‘ Little Baron Trump ’ 
and ‘ Little Giant Boab,’ has perpetrated another joke of the same kind in his ‘ Extra- 
ordinary Experiences of Little Captain Doppelkop on the Shores of Bubbleland.’ The 
boy, who was twins in himself, a sort of juvenile Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, has a lot 
of surprising and comical adventures that are narrated hy himself — or perhaps we 
ought to say more truthfully, though ungrammatically, ‘ themself’ — with delightful 
simplicity.” 

BOSTON HOME JOURNAL, “For its quaint conceptions it has neverbeen sur- 
passed, if equalled, by anything of the kind. The idea of creating a character like 
that of Little Captain Doppelkop was a great stroke of genius. The adventures of 
the Little Captain in Bubbleland are of the most marvellous character, and constantly 
lead from one surprise to another still more surprising, and they are related with a 
sparkle and naturalness that keep the reader’s high interest continually on the top- 
most round of expectancy. If Mr. Lockwood can beat his own record on this ex- 
travaganza, then he will indeed stand the champion imaginator of the world.” 

NORTHWESTERN MAGAZINE. “ Ingersoll Lockwood has quite outdone him- 
self this time. The trouble is there are 287 large pages of pure enjoyment and fun 
for your open-mouthed boys, and the small ones won’t let you stop till you’ve read 
them every one, not to speak of letting them take the book at eveiy page or two to 
look at the droll pictures which Clifton Johnson has so fitted to the text. ‘Little 
Captain Doppelkop ’ was two children rolled into one, and their adventures in 
Glaucus’ Gluepot, Bubbleland, the Castle of Indolence, and elsewhere — all kept even 
poor old me interested. The book is bound prettily in gray -green, touched up with 
darker and gold ; just the book for jmur boy’s Xmas tree.” 

THE HOUSEKEEPER. “‘Little Captain Doppelkop,’ being the extraordinary 
experiences of the oddest and most amusing little fellow that ever made or found his 
way from wonderful babyhood and its mysteries out into the big, crazy world. 
Ingersoll Lockwood, the author of this book, makes it his business to stow away a 
lot of sense into a hundred small packets of nonsense, so that the boy or girl who 
reads the three hundred pages that tell all about the impossible absurdities of the 
little Captain will be the happier and the wiser.” 

BOSTON COURIER. “This we confess to finding one of the most amusing and in- 
genious books of its kind that has been written in our time. It is spontaneous and 
sparkling, and there is throughout an unfailing succession of novel surprises such as 
only the most fantastically fertile fancy could have devised. The central idea, that of 
the boy who was really two persons, is a capital one, good enough to make the fortune 
of any book, and it is capitally carried out.” • 

NEW LONDON TELEGRAPH. “‘Little Captain Doppelkop’ is an extrava- 
ganza as curious as was ever conceived and depicted in prose and picture. Ingersoll 
Lockwood showed in ‘ Little Baron Trump’ how possible it was to be a delightful yet 
perfectly unobjectionable Munchausen. ‘ Little Captain Doppelkop,’ from beginning 
to end, is filled with entrancing and absorbing adventures, and the facile pencil fully 
supplements the pen. No such work lias been attempted by American writers, and 
the great success which attended Mr. Ingersoll in his former achievement cannot fail 
to be repeated now. The spirit, energy, and simple way in which the narrative seems 
to hug the possible render it so effective that whoever takes it up finds himself turning 
page after page until he unwillingly comes to the last.” 

BOSTON GLOBE. “ ‘ Little Captain Doppelkop ’ — why ‘ Doppelkop ’ it is necessaiy 
to read — is bound to be a tremendous success, and deserves a place as a child’s classic 
with those which delighted our boyhood.” 


*LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 


Little M Boat] aifl His UM RaFee Tai 

PRESS NOTICES 


NEW YORK TRIBUNE. “‘The Wonderful Deeds and Doings of Little 
Giant Loah and his Talking Raven Tabib * takes higher rank than any other 
book of the season intended for young people, .and is indeed even cleverer than 
its amusing predecessor, which recounted the adventures of Baron Trump and 
his delightful dog Bulger. In this story of a mighty young Spanish giant, Tabib, the 
raven, plays the guiding, protecting, and humorous part taken by Bulger in Mr. 
Ingersoll Lockwood’s first story, and his somewhat cynical shrewdness and hearty 
affection for his master make the ‘little gentleman in black ’ a very winning figure. 
With the luunorous tone of the book is blent a sweet and kindly spirit that much 
enhances the charms of its wild adventures.” 

CRITIC, NEW YORK. “ ‘ Boab’ is short for Boabdil de Clavigero, and the appella- 
tive ‘ Little Giant’ but faintly indicates the prodigies of strength and valor performed 
by this marvellous child. In an elaborately erudite introduction, bristling with 
indisputable citations in black-letter from sixteenth-century travellers, our clever 
author seeks to dispel any possible doul)t as to the real existence of his hero. In- 
genious Mr. Lockwood! don’t you know that the da}' is past when we youngsters 
used to cpieiy ‘ Is it true ? ’ t'ew will concern themselves, as they follow with 
breathless eagerness the career of this precocious boy, to discover the dividing line 
between fact and fancy. There seems to be no limit to the author’s imagination, 
and Boab is brought bravely out of one combination of pjrils only to be involveil in 
another still more alarming. Nothing is impossible to his strong arm and quick wit, 
and whether shouldering a massive castle-door, or tripping up El Gran Capitan and 
pinning him to the floor with a two-ton statue, or vanquishing the frightful mau-liat, 
or getting ahead of the wall of living stones, or driving the cardinal through night and 
tempest, over the mountains to the Malaga, he is in all the same plucky, invincible, 
good-natured little fellow — with whom every year will be loth to part. Fun, novelty, 
satire, pathos— these are a few of the elements that make this a most attractive book 
for the young.” 

BROOKLYN STANDARD UNION. “It is a pretty hard thing to invent a 
really new fairy tale, so completely has the ground been gone over by the old veteran 
story-tellers; but in ‘Little Giant Boab’ Mr Lockwood has given the young folk a 
tale which is in many respects original, which contains many new situations and in- 
genious inventions, which is whimsical to the last degree, full of subtle humor and 
rollicking fun. It is a delightful tale, that will be quite as successful as ‘ Little 
Baron Trump and his Wonderful Dog Bulger,’ which made such a hit last season. 
The funny and wonderful doings of Giant Boab and his tuven, with the humorous 
siccount of Boab’s ancestors, his appcai’ancc in Queen Isabel’s court, his feats 
of strength, his exploits in the Spanish camp, together with all his subsequent journey- 
ings, will be read and listened to and talked over in many a household during the com- 
ing holidays. The illustrations, too, are in admirable keeping with the spirit of the 
story, and fitly supplement as well as adorn the text. Giant Boab is destined to be a 
formidable rival to Baron Munchausen himself.” 

BOSTON BEACON. “ Ingersoll Lockwood has seized an old ^Moorish legend and 
made use of it to furnish a first-rate fairy tale which will delight the children almost 
as much as older folk are delighted with ‘Don Quixote.’ Little (iiantBoab is as inter- 
esting a character as Hop O’My Thumb of Englisli birth, and incidental to his advent- 
ures valuable insight into the customs and ways of Spain is atforded. The book has 
many wood-cuts by Clifton Johnson. !Mr. l^ockwood displays astonishing versatility, 
unlimited powers of invention, unfailing humor, and a satirical purpose which seems 
to be so closely interwoven with the whole narrative that its force depends altogether 
on the reader’s capacity of comprehension. Like Swift’s ‘ Gulliver’ tales, the stories 
of the exploits of the Little Giant will be a source of unending entertainment to the 
young, while their elders will relish the clever manner in which all sorts of human 
weaknesses are exhibited in the light of wholesome ridicule. Mr. Clifton Johnson 
has added a large number of illustrations admirably suited to the text.” 

ZION’S IIFIRALD. “This is a fairy tale which will especially delight the children. 
Tabib was a sly and cunning bird, but Boab was a good and brave boy; and putting 
these two together and setting them off, to take together whatever adventtircs may 
befall them, is sure to create a fascinating interest in them for the young. And then, 
too, the pictures are so many, and in many cases so funny, that this will be another 
source of pleasure to tlie reader,” 


LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 

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